North Macedonia Arrests Police in Crackdown on Passport-Forgers

The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that at least nine police officers have been arrested so far on suspicion of being part of a group that issued false passports and identity documents to foreign citizens.

"The operation is ongoing and we will have more info once it wraps up, later today or tomorrow," a high-ranking official in the Interior Ministry told BIRN.

The operation was launched after the group was under investigation and surveillance for more than a year, police said, adding that these activities were carried out in coordination with Interpol and the Office for Investigation of the US embassy in Skopje.

The large-scale police operation came just a day after the opposition VMRO DPMNE on Monday accused the Social Democrats-led government of being the mastermind behind a criminal ring that it claimed has been issuing hundreds of fake passports to people from the Balkans who are suspected of criminal activities.

Monday's opposition briefing to journalists and a subsequent press conference on Tuesday given by opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski made the issue a political one.

Mickoski alleged that VMRO DPMNE has evidence that several passports were issued to foreigners known for their shady activities. He claimed that the party obtained the evidence through whistleblowers.

"The 'Mafia' affair [as VMRO DPMNE dubbed the case] confirms that the government has become a nest for, has given protection to and has cooperated with Balkan narco-bosses. The country has turned into a service and logistical centre for serious criminal groups wanted for organised crime, narcotics, murders and violence," Mickoski told media on Tuesday.

But police claimed on Tuesday that the opposition briefing has jeopardised the entire...

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