North Macedonia Suspends Chief Organised Crime Prosecutor

North Macedonia's chief state prosecutor, Ljubomir Joveski, has suspended the head of the Organised Crime Prosecution, Vilma Ruskovska, over a suspicion that she has made a "major professional mistake" while recently probing the premises of the Financial Police for alleged crimes.

Two of Ruskovska's colleagues, Elizabeta Josifovska and Ivana Trajcevska are also facing disciplinary measures.

North Macedonia's chief state prosecutor has filed a proposal for "launching a disciplinary procedure and determining responsibility against three public prosecutors, who are suspected of intentionally and unjustifiably making a major professional mistake, thus committing a serious disciplinary violation," the top prosecution wrote in its press release on Tuesday.

Ruskovska confirmed this information.

"I have received the decision but I will not be commenting for the time being," Ruskovska told BIRN.

This move was preceded by a several-weeks-long verbal and legal spat between Ruskovska and the Financial Police chief Arafat Muaremi.

On July 18, the Organised Crime Prosecution entered the premises of the Financial Police in a pre-investigation procedure to check possible wrongdoings. Ruskovska then said that she had acted on a report by a group of citizens against Muaremi.

Muaremi, who strongly denied any wrongdoing, filed a report against Ruskovska to the State Prosecution asking it to check the legality of the search.

In August 4, in an open letter, Ruskovska complained of pressure and attacks on her integrity from Muaremi, a government appointee. In it, she asked for help from EU and the US embassies and from the EU's Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi.

However, she received an answer that such problems should be...