English
My position is that the rule of law is systematically a problem in the perception of citizens, because in essence we do not have the rule of law, but rather, unfortunately, we have meddling in the law, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in an interview with the Macedonian Television on the occasion of two years of the government’s mandate.
Prime Minister Mickoski emphasized that he is not satisfied with the judiciary, indicating that he expects all the affairs to be clarified, for which he said that only in this way can citizens think about changing the perception of trust in the judicial authorities.
Several things that happened in the past created such a problem that left devastating consequences for the judicial system and I think that we will feel it for some time to come. The first is the period when the then largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE was not present in Parliament,, after the elections in 1994, and a famous election of judges that took place during that period. It was a process of complete politization of the judiciary by the then government. The second problem that we must be aware of is the implanting in the judicial system of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and all the conditions that preceded and followed it. It was preceded by those so-called Przino agreements and negotiations at different times between 2015-2016, when that planted institution was born. The Government at the time used that institution as a political tool to exert political pressure on dissenters at that time, the opposition, or to realize some personal or political goals.
You remember how the SPO came with a big bang, supported by acclamation from the international community, to a certain extent and financed by the international community with expectations that something major will happen, that those people who essentially showed their mediocre capacity will bring some kind of justice and restore values. And we all know how that ended, and to show the character of petty souls whose huge bonuses have remained unexplained to this day. But it will not remain like that and now I expect that the current chief State Prosecutor will have these issues clarified and disclosed to the public.
Before the interview, during the Parliament question time, Mickoski clashed with SDSM leader Venko Filipce over this issue.
My only fault is that you are not behind bars. Former officials are enjoying themselves in Dubai while the citizens await their arrests. The citizens will be satisfied once they see that justice has been served and you are behind bars, said Mickoski, accusing Filipce and his mentor Zoran Zaev of massive corruption.