N.Macedonia's ex-prosecutor on organised crime jailed for abuse of power

His social media profiles include pictures of him socialising with Zaev, his ministers and Janeva. The office of the special prosecutor dealing with corruption and organised crime was created under a 2015 agreement brokered by the European Union that ended a two-year political crisis in North Macedonia.

North Macedonia's former special prosecutor in charge of investigating the organised crime was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday for taking money from a businessman whom her office was investigating for alleged corruption. A Skopje court convicted Katica Janeva of sharing payment of 1.5 million euros with a middleman who obtained it from the businessman in exchange for keeping him abreast of the inquiry against him and releasing him from detention.

The court convicted Janeva of abuse of power and the middleman, Bojan Jovanovski, of money laundering and accepting money for unlawful influence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The graft inquiry against the businessman has been completed but prosecutors have not said whether charges will follow.

The case became a major headache for Prime Minister Zoran Zaev since Jovanovski, a high-profile entertainer turned businessmen, was outspoken about his connections with senior officials in the Social Democratic government. His social media profiles include pictures of him socializing with Zaev, his ministers, and Janeva.

The office of the special prosecutor dealing with corruption and organized crime was created under a 2015 agreement brokered by the European Union that ended a two-year political crisis in North Macedonia. Its main task was to tackle cases that ordinary judicial entities could not handle due to political pressure. Very few cases have resulted in charges or trial.

North Macedonia seeks EU membership and one of the major conditions for it is curbing corruption and organized crime.