SDSM accused Minister of Agriculture Cvetan Tripunovski that he has allegedly concealed information related to the recent scandal with the IPARD funds allocation, when the Director of the Payment Agency at the Agriculture Ministry was arrested over suspicion of bribery and manipulation with the funds.
“Tripunovski continues to run from the public, refusing to provide concrete answers about the halting of the payment of IPARD funds. Halting the payment of around 130 million euros is a serious blow to farmers and the agriculture in the country, and by hiding information, Tripunovski endangers the support system for the farmers and only increase the damage they already face due to the halted payments”, said SDSM MP Bogdanka Kuzeska, calling upon Tripunovski to resign.
The government reacted to Kuzeska’s press conference, with governmental spokeswoman Marija Miteva rejecting the accusations, highlighting that the government is completely transparent with this case.