New North Macedonia Probe Grills Top Government Official

A top official in the ruling Social Democratic Party and MP in North Macedonia, Frosina Remenski, has proclaimed her innocence following a hearing at the Skopje Criminal Court in connection with a new probe into the so-called "Extortion" case.

"I do not feel guilty about events in the International Alliance of which I was an honorary president," Remenski said after her hearing in court, which should later decide whether to impose measures against her, such as confiscating her passport, as the prosecution has demanded.

It comes after the State Prosecution on Wednesday launched a new investigation linked to the "Extortion" case that has already rocked the government and implicated a senior prosecutor. As with the original investigation, the first suspect in the new probe is the showman-turned-businessman Bojan Jovanovski and his humanitarian charity, the International Alliance - with which Remenski was linked.

The new probe encompasses four new suspects, including Remenski, and focuses on alleged crimes carried out via Jovanovski's International Alliance.

The new suspects, whose names were not revealed on Wednesday, allegedly helped Jovanovski to dupe two businessmen into giving him a total of almost one million euros that they thought were for a centre for the elderly, the prosecution said on Wednesday. The suspects are suspected of money laundering, fraud and providing assistance during a fraud.

Remesnki said after the hearing that the case against her was weak, as the prosecution had no real evidence against her. On Wednesday, the prosecution said a suspected state office holder was present during meetings with the victims, in order to give them the false impression that the government was behind the projects.

Remenski is the...