Witness at State Lottery trial: materials were reviewed hastily
Former board member said materials were often sent in the morning with replies expected the same day; no board debate on VLT procurement.
A former member of the State Lottery board testified at a trial today that documents were often circulated too quickly for detailed review, and that the board did not formally discuss the procurement of VLT terminals.
The witness, Hrista Najdanov, said he was appointed to the board by the Government in 2017 on the proposal of the DOM party and served until February 2024. He told the court that, while meetings were initially held in person under director Perparim Bajrami, from 2021 some materials began to be delivered electronically.
Fast turnaround on documents, limited time for scrutiny
Najdanov described a practice in which papers were sometimes sent in the morning with members expected to respond by the afternoon. He said there was not always time to examine them thoroughly and that in most cases board members replied positively.
On questions about whether members could request additional explanations from staff when materials arrived this way, Najdanov said they did not have the opportunity in such situations.
Regarding the acquisition of VLT (video lottery terminal) equipment, the witness told the court that, to his recollection, prior assessments and reports had been prepared analysing the feasibility of creating a new company to operate video lottery games. He added that, according to his knowledge, the terminals were intended for organising electronic games of chance.
When asked whether the Management Board debated the need to buy the terminals, Najdanov replied that, as far as he remembers, they did not discuss the issue and there was no such item on the agenda. The case accuses former deputy prime minister Artan Grubi, ex-director Perparim Bajrami, former government general secretary Metodija Dimovski and five other supervisory board members of abuse of office.
Photo: press material from the event
