VMRO-DPMNE urges Filipche to hand over evidence on €37 million defence procurement scandal
The ruling party asks Filipche to give prosecutors documents and explain when and how he learned about the alleged €37 million discrepancy in a defence helicopter contract.
VMRO-DPMNE has publicly demanded that SDSM leader Venko Filipche hand over to prosecutors any documents backing allegations about a €37 million discrepancy in a helicopter procurement linked to former defence minister and current MP Slavjanka Petrovska.
According to the ruling party, Filipche raised suspicions tying Petrovska and members of "Platform 12:05" to a contract that — they say — contains a difference of as much as €37 million. VMRO-DPMNE says such sums require clear answers from the SDSM leader and immediate submission of evidence to competent authorities.
"If Filipche truly possesses information about suspicions of criminality, then there is no room for selectivity, calculations or inter-party score-settling. Let him hand the information to the competent institutions and present them to the prosecutor," VMRO-DPMNE said, calling on prosecutors to verify the claims and determine whether there are grounds for action.
The party listed a series of questions it expects Filipche to answer publicly: when he learned of the information, why he remained silent until now, what documents and evidence he holds, who signed the contract in question and on what legal basis.
VMRO-DPMNE also urged Filipche to report any other alleged irregularities he may know about rather than focusing on a single case. "If there is information or suspicion of other illegalities in SDSM, let him publish them and deliver them to the competent institutions. Citizens deserve full transparency and accountability for every suspicious contract, every spent denar and every decision that may have harmed the public interest," the party said.
Context and recent internal tensions in SDSM
The appeal from VMRO-DPMNE came after "Platform 12:05" last week called for structural reforms within SDSM. At a recent press conference, Filipche sharply criticized members of the platform by name and questioned whether Slavjanka Petrovska's participation in the group might relate to a comment by the current defence minister Vlado Misajlovski that his predecessor had signed a helicopter procurement deal that was €37 million more expensive despite a different commission decision. At the same event Filipche said: "If they want, they can help or get out of my way, because I'll crush them like a truckload of frogs."
Photo: press material from the event
