Prosecutor Suspected of Taking a “Reward for Influence” — Yet No Detention: Why the Judge Could Not Impose a Harsher Measure
The pre-trial judge accepted the measures proposed by the prosecution for the Bitola higher public prosecutor — surrender of his travel document and a ban on part of his work — and explained that he could not impose a harsher measure than the one proposed.
After the organized crime and corruption prosecution made the Bitola higher public prosecutor a suspect for “receiving a reward for unlawful influence,” the question many asked is simple: why is he not in detention? The answer is procedural. According to reports, the prosecution did not propose detention but precautionary measures, and the pre-trial judge at the Skopje Basic Criminal Court accepted them: surrender of his travel document and a ban on certain work activities. The court explained that it cannot impose a harsher measure than the one proposed by the prosecutor.
The proceedings are conducted under Article 359, paragraph 3 in conjunction with paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code. In essence, the prosecution claims the suspect used his official position and presumed influence to affect decisions of other prosecutors and judges in at least four cases and received a reward for it. Searches of his home and office were carried out on October 6. The penalty range is not stated in the reports so far, so we do not repeat one.
The decision can be appealed, and the suspect’s name has not been officially disclosed. A similar affair from April already ended with a plea agreement: former public attorney Fehmi Stafa, caught receiving part of a bribe meant to influence Judge Ristov, accepted one year and three months in prison. That says nothing about this case, except that in under a year the judiciary is facing, for the second time, an investigation that touches its own ranks.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 9, 2026
