English
Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski called upon the Public Prosecutor’s Office to review the audit report for the Macedonian Roads company, as well as the criminal complaint he personally signed regarding the conduct of the previous management of this crucial company — which left debts totaling 34 million EUR. Responding to a question from MP Borislav Krmov in the Parliament about the situation and poor working conditions at “Makedonija Pat”, Nikoloski described the state of affairs as “extremely difficult, ultra-difficult.”
We found the company with a debt of 34 million EUR – now it stands at 25 million, a reduction of nine million EUR over two years. Everyone there was stealing, as much as they could. If a liter of road-marking paint — which wasn’t even being used — cost X, they would charge ten times that price. Not to mention winter maintenance: for the past two years, the snow has actually been cleared, whereas previously, money was paid out but the snow wasn’t removed. Just look at the dog collision incidents. I know stray dogs exist, but I find it hard to believe we hold such a record —3.5 million euros in damages have been awarded by the courts. A gang operated there — a mafia of lawyers, appraisers, expert witnesses, and God knows what else — and it turns out that up until 2024, back when Konstantin Aceski, a man who used to beat his wife, was the director, dogs were crashing into vehicles every day. After 2024, the frequency of dogs crashing into vehicles somehow dropped, said Nikolski.
He pointed out that lawsuits being sent to Strasbourg are also a contributing factor to the dire situation at the Macedonian Roads company.
They have colluded with companies to which money is owed; now Strasbourg has started issuing rulings requiring the payment of the principal debt and the interest, even though the prices at which these companies secured contracts were far above market rates. I have called upon the Public Prosecutor’s Office several times — and let me take this opportunity, here from the Parliamentary podium, to make a plea. I don’t know what other word to use – that they review the audit report. They don’t need to do anything else; they just need to read the audit report and the criminal complaint that I personally signed, Nikolski said. He added that employees at the company are now receiving their salaries regularly, and the holiday allowance will be paid within the statutory deadline. He also noted that suppliers are now being paid based on realistic financial capabilities.
We are constantly adjusting prices downward to reflect actual market conditions. For instance, whereas a ton of asphalt might have cost 100–110 EUR prior to 2024, it was previously being invoiced at 190 euros. This company is one of my major headaches. But once again, I beg, I implore, I appeal — I don’t know which word to use — the Public Prosecutor’s Office to step in and thoroughly investigate the matter, Nikoloski stated in the Parliament.