VMRO-DPMNE accuses prosecutor of shielding Venko Filipce

The political party VMRO-DPMNE has accused outgoing prosecutor Islam Abazi of protecting former Health Minister Venko Filipce regarding the controversial modular hospitals used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the allegations, these hospitals were procured as goods rather than medical facilities, bypassing standard construction laws and oversight. This classification allowed the government to avoid certain regulatory requirements, but resulted in the hospitals being unable to be officially registered in the Cadastre. In Tetovo, a modular hospital fire resulted in 14 deaths in September 2021.

Critics claim that hospital directors had previously opposed the installation of these units due to a lack of necessary connections and medical supervision. However, Filipce reportedly ordered them into use regardless. VMRO-DPMNE asserts that Abazi’s handling of the case effectively shielded Filipce from legal accountability for the circumstances surrounding the modular hospital project.