The Titanic election fraud trial—in which fugitive former PM Nikola Gruevski and other high VMRO-DPMNE officials are charged with crimes including illegal party funding and violating voters’ rights—resumes Monday in Skopje’s Criminal Court with a testimony from Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Other witnesses are expected to testify as well. Judge Osman Shabani is presiding over the trial, and Lile Stefanova is the prosecutor.
Twenty people are charged with various crimes related to election rigging in 2011 and 2013.
In addition to Gruevski, who fled the country, the group includes Gordana Jankulovska, Mile Janakieski, Martin Protugjer, Ilija Dimovski, Kiril Bozhinovski, Biljana Brishkoska Boshkovski, Munir Pepikj, Edmond Temelko, Leko Ristoski, Kiril Todorovski, Katerina Velovska, Stanko Korunovski, Kosta Markovski, Dragche Dragcheski, Marjan Nakevski, Goce Janevski, Xhezmi Ahmet, Robert Davitkov, Dalibor Aleshkovic and Lenka Rashajkovska.
The case is one of the first ones prosecuted by the former Special Prosecutor’s Office, but despite the time that has passed since the defendants were charged, the trial is still in its stage of presenting evidence.
