Fehmi Stafa testifies he did not give money to Gjoko Ristov

At the Criminal Court in Skopje today, defense witness Fehmi Stafa — brought from prison — testified in the trial of former appellate judge Gjoko Ristov. Stafa is serving a sentence after pleading guilty to accepting a €50,000 payment that prosecutors said was intended to be handed to Ristov; investigators earlier uncovered €350,000 hidden in a walled space at Ristov’s family house in Negotino.

Under questioning by Ristov’s lawyer, Stafa denied having given money to the judge and said he had pleaded guilty out of fear of a harsher punishment. He told the court that, after his arrest, two investigators — identified only by the initials U.Š. and another man — searched him aggressively near the building of the sister of Ljupcho Pecov-Gjavolot, whom Stafa had represented. He said the investigator U.Š. was “very aggressive, harassed me, wanted to physically attack me” and that the money was not found on Ristov. Stafa added that €20,000 had been declared but not located, and that he had said those funds were a fee for his legal services. He said the investigator contacted prosecutor Iskra Hadzhivasileva and told him to state the money was intended for Judge Gjoko Ristov so he could avoid criminal liability.

"I will spend ten years in prison" — why Stafa says he admitted

Stafa told the prosecutor that he said: "I will serve ten years in prison, I will not lie that the money is for Gjoko." He said he reported the conduct to authorities but no institution sanctioned anyone, and so "in the end I shortened my suffering, I admitted the crime to get out of custody."

The courtroom noted that Ristov’s parents did not attend the hearing and Ljupcho Pecov-Gjavolot was also absent; only Stafa was brought in from prison. Stafa is a former State Attorney and worked with Ristov’s wife. The judge said she found it unclear why the other witnesses listed by the defense were not produced, given that only one witness was heard today.

Stafa said that the remaining €30,000 had been given to him as a loan by Pecov’s sister and that he had proof: "I have evidence for that." During cross-examination prosecutor Iskra Hadzhivasileva reminded Stafa that he had requested to settle the case, a point Stafa confirmed by answering "Yes." The prosecutor also asked: "Your sentence was reduced to one year and three months?" and Stafa replied "Yes."

Hadzhivasileva pressed him about recorded material in which he appears to state the money was for Ristov; Stafa said those statements were made under pressure. When the prosecutor suggested he had feared suffering the same fate as Ristov — whose car had been torched during the proceedings — Stafa became visibly unsettled and told the court that an investigator had warned him he would never see daylight again.

Judge Biljana Kocevska said she had reviewed the plea agreement and that it records how Ljupcho Pecov-Gjavolot and his sister claimed Stafa demanded €100,000 to secure a milder measure for Ristov. Stafa maintained that the funds were “payments for legal services, not for Ristov,” and repeatedly argued that the way evidence had been collected was incorrect. In the hearing he was identified as a former State Attorney and a member of the DUI party.

Photo: SDK.MK)