“The Money in the Wall Is Ours”: What Judge Ristov’s Parents Said and What the DNA Analysis Showed
At the October 8 hearing, the parents of appellate judge Gjoko Ristov claimed the €350,000 found in a wall is theirs; the next hearing is on October 22.
At the Skopje Criminal Court hearing on October 8, before presiding judge Biljana Kocevska, the parents of appellate judge Gjoko Ristov testified. Ristov is accused of failing to declare his property. The case concerns €350,000 found on January 18, 2026, packed in 13 bundles and hidden in a wall of his parents’ house in Negotino. The prosecution says the money was not declared and that its origin is not backed by evidence.
The mother said she had been saving the money since the house was built in 1975, that it belongs to her and her husband and not to the son, and that banks do not guarantee deposits above €30,000. The father said the money belongs to both parents and that the children did not know about it. Reports from the hearing indicate that the forensic analysis of the foil showed DNA from the son but not from the father. Traces on packaging, however, do not by themselves answer the question of whose money it is; that is for the court to determine.
At an earlier hearing, an investor testified that the mother paid about €400,000 in January 2025 for four apartments; the defense says that money also belongs to the parents, while the prosecution says it is separate from the €350,000 in the wall. Forensic technician Goran Manojlovikj said he wore gloves but not a protective suit while photographing the money and could not confirm whether a log of people entering the room was kept. The presumption of innocence applies; the next hearing is on October 22.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 9, 2026
