Higher prosecutors to review appeal after Gruevski's acquittal in "Talir 2" property case

Skopje's higher prosecutors now must weigh an appeal against the acquittal of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski in the case known as "Talir 2", which concerns the party property of the ruling VMRO‑DPMNE.

Next step: Higher Public Prosecutor's Office has eight days to issue an opinion

The files reached the Skopje Court of Appeals and were forwarded to the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in line with procedural rules, the court confirmed. Under the Criminal Procedure Code, the higher prosecutor has eight days to review the case file and state whether the lower prosecutor's appeal is justified.

After the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office delivers its opinion, the case will return to the Appeals Court and a hearing will be scheduled; that session can be public at the parties' request, after which the Appeals Court will make a final decision.

The case carries a looming statute‑of‑limitations deadline of August 31, so the Appeals Court says it will treat the matter as urgent and work through the court vacation if necessary — in theory a decision could be made before the end of August.

Last week the prosecution announced it had appealed the acquittal. Meanwhile, the party property remains frozen because the acquittal is not yet final. Prosecutors declined to comment at this stage about confiscation measures.

Ristoska reacted after the verdict with the remark: "Talir 2 was taken from me to save VMRO‑DPMNE's property."

At the first trial in 2022 Gruevski was sentenced to six years, but that verdict was overturned and the case was reopened after a January 2024 Appeals Court decision following amendments to the Criminal Code. The trial judge who acquitted Gruevski said the 2023 changes to the Criminal Code altered the legal assessment of the evidence: although the facts and proofs stayed the same, the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Gruevski committed the offence of exceeding official powers.

The VMRO‑DPMNE headquarters was built by the now‑defunct construction company Beton, which at the time received public tenders; the party acquired more than eight million euros in value from the property, according to the case file.

Photo: press material from the event