New reactions to developments in Judiciary

According to Justice Minister Renata Deskoska, if there is no independent and strong Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO), talk of a legal state is in vain. Friday saw her call on MPs that should vote on the new law to think about where “they see the country’s future”. The Minister added that the adoption of a PPO law was no longer necessary because of the transfer of the cases of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). “Now, it’s already certain that the SPO cases will continue before courts,” Deskoska pointed out. The same day, the PPO said the cases had been taken over from the SPO and given to public prosecutors that had until then acted on said cases until a relevant public prosecutor’s office and public prosecutor was designated that would act on each case. Chief Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski stated that he expected the Council of Public Prosecutors to solve, as soon as possible, the SPO prosecutors’ status. Also on Friday, VMRO-DPMNE Sec Gen Igor Janusev said the fact that Joveski had acted on Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva’s order was unprecedented, adding that it represented an “additional blow to the legal system”. Commenting on the developments related to the issue, PM Zoran Zaev said it was not true that he had said at the leaders’ meeting that Janeva would be released from detention. He had received the information personally from Janeva’s lawyer, Irena Frckoska. However, VMRO-DPMNE MP Antonio Milososki described the PM’s comments as an unskilful denial, adding that it was good that Zaev had finally admitted that he was communicating with Janeva’s defence. EU Ambassador Samuel Zbogar stated that the SPO cases had to see an outcome, adding that that had to be case also when it came to all others related to corruption.