On Monday, media reported that two individuals had been detained and searches of residences and individuals were being conducted across multiple locations as part of a pre-investigation into financial crime suspected to have been committed by officials to acquire substantial unlawful property gain, resulting in the embezzlement of budgetary funds amounting to nearly 1.3 million euros.
Several hours after the media reports, the Financial Police Office issued a press release confirming two individuals had been detained.
As it explained, its officers, acting on warrants issued by a pre-trial judge under the coordination and leadership of a competent public prosecutor from the Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, conducted searches of residences and individuals at several locations.
The operation stems from a pre-investigation aimed at uncovering and documenting criminal offenses in the field of financial crime suspected to have been committed by official persons to secure substantial unlawful property gain, embezzling budget funds to the tune of nearly 80 million denars (around 1.3 million euros), it added.