Witness: judge Gjoko Ristov’s mother paid about €400,000 for unfinished flats

A witness at the trial of appellate judge Gjoko Ristov said on Tuesday that the judge’s mother paid about €400,000 for apartments that were never built, and that the Ristov family had left at least another large sum with the witness himself.

The witness, Krume Apostolov, who works in land acquisition and construction, told the court he has known the accused and members of his family for many years. He described negotiations in January 2025 with Ristov’s mother, identified in court only as aunt Donka, over the purchase of four unfinished flats totaling 250 square metres.

“In January 2025 I met with aunt Donka who was interested in buying apartments that were not yet started. We agreed that she would buy four flats with a total area of 250 square metres. We agreed on the price. In January we signed a contract at the notary and she deposited an amount. She paid around €400,000 into an account. Construction was delayed,” Apostolov told prosecutor Iskra Hadzhivasileva.

Evidence and cross-examination

Asked whether the deposited sum had been changed or returned, the witness replied that it remained in the account. He said the following April aunt Donka called him, worried about paperwork; she allegedly requested at least part of the money back, but Apostolov said he had already reinvested it and did not return any funds. He also told the court that after a year he promised construction would start in ten days, and that prices had since risen.

Under cross-examination, the defence asked whether Apostolov had ever communicated with Gjoko Ristov about the apartments; he answered no. When the defence pressed whether Apostolov had any criminal case involving Ristov, the witness denied it.

The defence also complained about the absence of a copy of a phone recording from prison that, the lawyer said, mentions judges from Glumovo and Saraj, defence lawyer Vasil Dimishkov, and organised crime judge Ile Trpkov. Prosecutor Hadzhivasileva replied that “those materials were extracted from a mobile phone that was being examined, and are not materials from special investigative measures.”

The prosecution is presenting evidence it says links the buried cash to criminal activity rather than to the Ristovs’ viticulture. Judge Ristov is charged with unlawful acquisition and concealment of assets and with money laundering and other proceeds of crime.

The money was discovered packed in 13 separate bundles: 610 banknotes of €500 and 225 banknotes of €200, some with hand-written amounts on them, hidden in a sealed space in the hollow bricks of a kitchen wall.

Photo: СДК.МК)