SDSM: Mickoski admitted he controls institutions that prosecute and detain, party says

The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) accused Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski of publicly admitting that he controls the institutions that prosecute and detain people, after Mickoski commented on recent Supreme Court rulings that annulled decisions in the Laskarci case and those involving former Karposh mayor Stevcho Jakimovski.

SDSM said Mickoski's remarks show that he treats prosecutors, judges, the Agency for National Security (ANB) and police as instruments of his political will.

In its statement the party quoted Mickoski's words as an admission. "He no longer even hides it. He says it publicly — on television, in the Assembly, wherever he wants. The prime minister is not a prosecutor. The prime minister is not a judge. The prime minister is not a police inspector. But Mickoski publicly admits that 'they' chase and detain, and the 'others' (again them) release," the party said.

Supreme Court rulings and party demands

The party demanded an immediate restoration of independence to the prosecution and the courts, saying the rule of law has become selective and institutions are acting at the behest of a political centre of power. "Justice is selective. Institutions are an instrument of political will. When they want — they prosecute. When they want — they distance themselves. When they want — they release, they detain. This is rule by an organized criminal group that has captured institutions and publicly boasts about it," SDSM added.

Mickoski described the Supreme Court decisions as "another big disappointment," saying the annulments are not only a personal disappointment but a setback for citizens. He blamed remnants of the previous SDSM-DUI governments in the judiciary for the appellate court reversal and urged EU partners to follow these examples and judge who the country is dealing with.

Yesterday the Supreme Court announced that its Council for Criminal Offences annulled the Appellate Court Skopje ruling that had increased some sentences in the Laskarci bus crash case. The Court also annulled the decisions of the Basic Criminal Court Skopje and the Appellate Court Skopje in the Jakimovski case after accepting an extraordinary review request filed by Jakimovski through his defender, lawyer Viktor Svetkovski from Kumanovo.

Photo: press material from the event