Gruevski’s VMRO DPMNE party

Macedonia’s Finance Ministry has urged utility companies to hurry up and apply to join a government-backed scheme to write of the debts of the poorest customers.
In return for canceling the debts, the government is offering the companies annual tax breaks.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski added to the call to companies to take part in the scheme at the weekend.

Financial experts have broadly welcomed plans by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to set up tax havens on the ground that they will boost employment in the financial and legal sectors.

The plan took a step towards realisation after parliament on Wednesday gave a green light to a package of constitutional changes that, among other things, allows for the opening of such zones.

Prominent anti-corruption NGO Transparency Macedonia, TM, a prominent anti-corruption NGO, condemned the decision by the chief prosecutor Marko Zvrlevski not to proceed with the case against Gruevki, who is accused of taking a bribe of 1.5 million euro to expedite the sale of Makedonska Banka AD to Serbian businessman Jovica Stefanovic, aka ‘Gazda Nini’ (‘Nini the Boss’) in 2004.

The recording released amid a tense election campaign in Macedonia comes a day after opposition Social Democrats accused Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of taking a bribe of €1.5 million for expediting the sale of Makedonska Banka AD to Serbian businessman Jovica Stefanovic, aka “Gazda Nini” ["Boss Nini"] in 2004.