Court of Appeals Abolishes First-Instance Verdict in Thaler 2 Case

As a result of the Criminal Code Changes, in relation to Article 353 of the Criminal Code, the Court of Appeals has abolished the first-instance verdict in the Thaler 2 case and returned the case for a retrial before the first-instance Court.

Former PM Nikola Gruevski and ex-Government Secretary-General Kiril Bozinovski were found guilty in the case. The ex-VMRO-DPMNE leader has also been issued a new 30-day detention measure, which will start once he is found and deprived of liberty.

The verdict in the case was reached by the Criminal Court on 7 June 2022. According to it, Gruevski and Bozinovski abused their official position and authority and, against the law, enabled a construction deal to be signed between VMRO-DPMNE and the Beton JSC legal entity, thus unlawfully acquiring a facility and property gain of over 132 million denars.