North Macedonia detains former customs chief Stefan Bogojev over procurement fraud

The public prosecutor in Skopje ordered pre‑trial detention for four individuals, including former customs director Stefan Bogojev and a former municipal mayor, on charges of abusing public procurement procedures. Investigators allege the suspects manipulated tender processes for border‑hygiene contracts, favoured a specific economic operator and obtained illicit gains estimated at 18.48 million denars. Evidence also shows Bogojev received a bribe of 111,600 denars for using his position to influence the tender.

The Finance Police carried out raids on homes and business premises as part of the operation, which Prime Minister Christian Micic said he respects the presumption of innocence for the accused. Micic emphasized the investigation will be expanded to other institutions linked to past irregularities.

The case highlights ongoing anti‑corruption efforts targeting high‑level officials in North Macedonia.