Thursday’s hearing in the trial over the Thaler case, too, was postponed. The legal process concerns whether the construction of VMRO-DPMNE’s HQ in the center of Skopje was lawful.
The postponement decision was made because two court-appointed defense attorneys for former party leader Gruevski didn’t attend the process, which would have seen them present closing arguments. One of them has taken days off following the birth of a child, while the second, appointed by the Criminal Court on Thursday, could not be located. The process will resume on June 30.
The statute of limitations regarding the case will expire in August. Currently, the decision freezing the party’s seat remains in force.
In its coverage of the case, Fokus has reported that, in all likelihood, the statute of limitations will expire because even if the Criminal Court makes a ruling soon, it will be nearly impossible for there to be an effective verdict by the Appellate Court by August. That means that VMRO-DPMNE is getting closer and closer to again becoming the formal owner of the 16-million-euro facility.