The Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, sent messages at a press conference regarding the decision to replace the measure of detention with a house arrest in a case related to an investigation into embezzlement of over eight million euros.
In his address, the Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Justice will not be a silent witness when citizens' trust in the legal system is shaken, nor will it stand aside when the public rightly demands answers.
"So far, respecting the principle of separation of powers, I have not commented on specific judicial and prosecutorial decisions. This is the foundation of the rule of law. But when decisions raise serious dilemmas and call into question equality before the law, it is my duty to demand accountability," Filkov stressed.
He emphasized that this is a person who has been on the run for 14 months, for whom a risk of flight was determined - a risk that has materialized - and that the public has the right to know on the basis of which specific facts and legal arguments the decision for a more lenient measure was made.
The Minister publicly called on all those involved in the procedure to provide a detailed and transparent explanation for their decisions, emphasizing that responsibility must be located by name and surname.
"I publicly call on all actors in the procedure to provide an explanation:
The Public Prosecutor Daniel Kocev :
– to explain, on the basis of which specific facts and legal arguments a positive opinion was given to replace detention?
The Head of the Prosecution Office, Anel Fidoski :
–does he stand behind this decision and does he consider this to be a message for equal application of the law?
The Judge of the preliminary procedure at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje, Marin Stanevski:
– what circumstances outweighed the risk of escape for a person who had been inaccessible for 14 months?” said the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov.
He informed that he had also requested an explanation from the competent institutions regarding the conditions in detention facilities and announced extraordinary supervision in penal institutions in order to determine the security conditions.
“We pass laws in vain if they are not implemented. We talk about reforms in vain if the practice destroys trust. This is not a matter of politics, but of principle,” said Filkov.