Management Board did not vote on VLT purchase, witness says
A former board member told prosecutors he learned of the VLT procurement from the commission and believes the board should have taken a position.
The Management Board of the State Lottery did not vote on the purchase of video lottery terminals (VLTs), a former board member told prosecutors during testimony in a case accusing several officials of abuse related to the procurement.
Former board member says he learned of the purchase from the procurement committee
Andrej Krstevski, who served on the Management Board and now works as an adviser in the director's office at the Lottery, told investigators he learned about the VLT acquisition from members of the commission running the procedure and that he believed the board should have given an opinion on such a major deal.
During his testimony Krstevski said that while Bajrami was director, materials for board sessions arrived late and there was not enough time for proper explanation. In cross-examination the accused former director pointed out that Krstevski had not recorded objections in the minutes and that he had voted for documents in which the VLT terminals were mentioned, including the public procurement plan.
The accused's lawyer argued that whether the Management Board issued a specific decision was irrelevant because the Supervisory Board and the Government adopted the relevant conclusion and decision as bodies superior to the Management Board. Lawyer Elenko Milanov for Bajrami also maintained there was no damage because the machines are in the Lottery's warehouse and are in the company's possession.
"There is no obstacle for these machines to be put into use, to be transferred or sold to legal entities that hold licences to organise such games of chance. Therefore, we cannot speak of the existence of damage; furthermore, what you will hear from the expert witnesses is that the value of these machines, although they have been in the Lottery's warehouse for about a year, is considerably—around 40–50 percent—higher at the moment," Milanov told the court.
Prosecutors claim the Lottery suffered damage of €9.7 million through the VLT procurement and that the company could not independently organise electronic games of chance. They say the government decision tied to the purchase was taken at a session chaired by Grubi.
Photo: press material from the event
