Candidates for head of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime present priorities

Five prosecutors running to replace Islam Abazi as head of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime have outlined largely overlapping priorities: stepped-up financial investigations and asset confiscation, stronger proactivity against cases on so-called "black lists," and expanded investigative capacity and staffing. The candidates are Faton Azizi, Trajche Pelivanov, Lidija Raicevic, Iskra Hadzi Vasileva and Jovan Cvetanovski. A message from the council of public prosecutors was sent to colleagues nationwide ahead of the vote scheduled for October 28.

Priorities and promises from the five candidates

Faton Azizi called for targeting money laundering in construction and for "greater proactivity for cases that are on the blacklist and increased fight against money laundering especially in construction."

Trajche Pelivanov pledged "a clear methodology for financial investigations," while Lidija Raicevic stressed the need for the chief prosecutor to understand "the structure of crime of the mafia type involved in drugs, weapons, and the kind of crime that happens in education and health care."

Iskra Hadzi Vasileva argued that the office must pursue crimes that "are an expression of the broader public interest that corrodes our society, that disturbs citizens' peace and disables progress — that is certainly organized crime," and Jovan Cvetanovski said there should be "a protocol with predictable measures for every criminal-legal event."

There are 188 prosecutors eligible to vote between the five candidates. Raicevic criticized what she called a pathology when a candidate lowers himself by calling colleagues across the country and pressuring them to vote for him. Cvetanovski said he has contacted colleagues in recent weeks to exchange experiences and get acquainted; he also confirmed that an indictment for abuse of official position against him has not been assessed for more than a year, and he believes it is not an obstacle to his election.

Campaign pledges focus on boosting the office's investigative wings, increasing staffing and resources, and adopting more proactive and technically rigorous approaches to financial probes — measures the candidates say are needed to break complex corruption and organized crime schemes.

Photo: press material from the event