SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
On Friday, six defendants in the Titanic 2 case, opened by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, received a combined sentence of nearly 20 years. Former State Election Commission (SEC) member Bedredin Ibrahimi and DPA leader Menduh Thaci were sentenced to 30 and 20 months, respectively, while the other four defendants, former Security and Counter-Intelligence Administration (UBK) Director Saso Mijalkov and ex-SEC members Saso Srcev, Vlatko Sajkovski and Aneta Stefanova each received a three-year sentence. According to the SPO’s charge, five of the defendants committed the crime of abuse of official position, while Mijalkov committed the crime of reception of a reward for unlawful influence. According to the verdict, Mijalkov, through Thaci, asked for Ibraimi to vote in favour of acceptance of VMRO-DPMNE’s objections in Strumica in exchange for the party voting in favour of DPA’s in Cair. Upon a request from the SPO’s Fatime Fetai, a detention measure was issued for Mijalkov and Ibraimi because of escape suspicions. Commenting on the verdict, DPA said it was certain that its leader was completely innocent. “The Criminal Court’s decision shows that certain black segments whose decisions create serious obstacles for the country’s democratisation and path towards the Euro-Atlantic structures are still active in the country. Those structures were following Thaci in the past, too,” it said, adding that there had even been attempts to kill Thaci as well. Thaci will use all court instances, including international courts, to prove his innocence. Mijalkov that Fetai’s request for a detention measure wasn’t backed by any evidence or arguments. “Escaping is not my lifestyle. If the Court of Appeals confirms the verdict, I will solve that by doing the time, not at all by escaping,” he said. Ibraimi, too, criticised Fetai over the matter. “Bedredin Ibraimi was born here. He lives here and he will die here. Until I prove that I have no guilt, I will stay here so that I laugh in her face. She cannot abuse the law and request detention without evidence,” he stressed.
