North Macedonia’s chief prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) Katica Janeva has been dismissed over suspected abuse of power after a parliamentary session vote, local media reported on Sunday, said Xinhua.
The Macedonian Special Prosecutor is investigating corruption at the highest level. She comes across the case against large officials and businessmen. 102 out of 120 deputies voted for Yaneva’s resignation. The decision was adopted unanimously.
The remaining 18 deputies were not present at the meeting, according to the Associated Press. An agency controlled by Yaneva was established in Macedonia in 2015. The main goal was the fight against organized crime and corruption. This was done against the background of Macedonia’s desire to join the European Union.
Law enforcement authorities did not formally charge the special prosecutor. She is suspected of abuse of power and “obtaining substantial benefits” in the form of property. In addition, Yanevaya is called involved in the removal of corruption charges from a local large businessman. In exchange for this, she allegedly received a bribe. Yanevaya is under arrest. She denies her guilt.
The case of the special prosecutor can have serious political consequences for the country. Negotiations on Macedonia’s accession to the EU have already been frustrated. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev emotionally reacted to the scandal.
He said that he would not allow these people to disrupt the country’s European integration. The official called the suspects homosexual. This caused a flurry of criticism from the LGBT community. Zaev had to apologize.
