He Pocketed Goods Worth Over 26 Million Denars and Cost the Budget 8 Million: Financial Police Catch Up With Manager S.Z. From Struga
Criminal charges for tax evasion filed against a manager and his company — the Criminal Code prescribes at least four years in prison
The Financial Police Office has filed criminal charges against an individual with the initials S.Z. and a legal entity from Struga, suspected of damaging the state budget by a total of 8,070,791 denars — around 130,000 euros — through tax evasion.
How the scheme worked
According to the investigation, the first suspect S.Z., as owner and manager of the reported company, intentionally and with the aim of obtaining unlawful gain for himself and the company, appropriated commercial goods recorded as inventory at the end of 2025 — worth as much as 26,085,138 denars. In addition, the company failed to report income from unsettled obligations amounting to 8,120,980 denars, while the unpaid profit tax for 2025 alone stands at 812,098 denars.
"With these actions, the reported parties did not calculate, report and pay the legally established tax obligations, damaging the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia by a total of 8,070,791 denars," the Financial Police stated.
The evasion covers value-added tax at rates of 18 and 5 percent, personal income tax and profit tax.
What comes next for the suspects
The criminal complaint has been submitted to the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Struga, which will decide on opening a formal investigation and a possible indictment. The penalties are not light: under Article 279 of the Criminal Code, when the evaded amount is of significant value — as in this case — the perpetrator faces at least four years in prison and a fine.
This is only the latest in a series of cases processed by the Financial Police this year: charges were recently filed over a rigged public procurement causing damages of over 2.1 million denars, and against three individuals for evading more than 4.6 million denars in taxes on equipment sales. The institutions' message is clear — paper inventories are no longer enough to hide millions in goods.
