Skopje Court of Appeals upholds acquittal of Nikola Gruevski

The Skopje Court of Appeals has upheld the acquittal of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in the ‘Talir 2’ case. The court rejected an appeal from the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office of Skopje, confirming a previous ruling that Gruevski acted within his legal authority regarding the financing of the VMRO-DPMNE party headquarters.

The prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the construction company ‘Beton’ was performing public services at the time it entered into contracts with the political party. Consequently, the court found no legal prohibition against the company donating funds to the party, nor an obligation for Gruevski to return them. This decision follows a July ruling that overturned a 2022 conviction where Gruevski had received a six-year prison sentence.

In response to the ruling, Aleksandar Dimitrijević, General Secretary of the SDSM, criticized the judicial process. He alleged political influence over the judiciary and called for immediate action to prevent the acquittal from being seen as a way to protect criminal assets. He argued that the judiciary must serve citizens rather than protecting the interests of political figures.