Toshkovski: No police fault found so far in Iva Mihailova escape

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Panche Toshkovski, said on the evening news programme that security cameras along border crossings and road routes did not record either Iva Mihailova or her lawyer during the critical window between the last time she was seen socialising in a café in Kochani and her later appearance in Bulgarian media.

Toshkovski told viewers that preliminary findings from the investigation show Mihailova does not appear in North Macedonia's entry-and-exit systems at any time during 2026, and that initial information from the Bulgarian border police likewise indicates she has no official recorded entry into Bulgaria this year.

Minister: no evidence of police fault so far

Asked about suggestions that the circumstances point to an organised operation to move her out of the country, and whether any police officers have been found responsible, the minister said there are currently no indications of police wrongdoing. He also noted that propaganda being spread — which he implied is coming from Bulgaria — cannot obscure the main point that a neighbouring EU member state has, over the years, become a protector of suspects and convicted criminals.

“In that critical time interval not a single camera registered her, let alone police officers greeting her, praising her or saying how important she is,” Toshkovski said.

Toshkovski added that Mihailova had respected the precautionary measures imposed by the court and regularly reported to the police station in Kochani according to the judicial schedule up until her escape. Because she crossed the border into Bulgaria illegally, outside official crossings where police carry out checks, the minister argued responsibility cannot be located with border officers or the Kochani police.

Context: Iva Mihailova of Kochani, who holds both Macedonian and Bulgarian citizenship, is accused before the Basic Court in Kochani of serious offences against the safety of people and property in traffic — namely a traffic accident with fatal consequences. In October last year the court imposed precautionary measures, confiscated both her passports and barred her from leaving the country; she was placed on the Ministry's stop-list. Mihailova fled to Bulgaria in October 2026 and on 12 October appeared before the media in Sofia with her Bulgarian lawyer, Nikolay Dimitrov, claiming she left because of deteriorating health and a sense of insecurity. After her departure the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kochani requested detention, central and international warrants were issued, and the court decided to try her in absentia. On 9 November the court rejected her lawyers' request for her to participate in the Kochani trial by videoconference.

Photo: Printskrin