SDSM party spokesman Kosta Kostadinov spread a fake report about VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski. Kostadinov sought to connect Nikoloski to an investigation in the Council of Europe and how members of its Parliamentary Assembly allegedly helped Azerbaijan improve its image.

Kostadinov cited a FAZ interview with Austrian think-tanker Gerald Knaus on the matter. One issue though – Nikoloski is not mentioned anywhere in the interview.

All allegations Kostadinov made are phrased in the form of a question, which reveals that he can’t back them up before the court, said Nikoloski, who was PACE Vice President and part of field missions in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Azerbaijan. “SDSM is going so far that they are slandering top European officials and institutions like the Council of Europe, where Macedonia is a member”.

According to Nikoloski, the reason for this unfounded attack on him by SDSM is that it is due to the revelations he made about SDSM leader Zoran Zaev and his links to the major Racket scandal.

I’m due to meet Zaev in court again on June 2nd and I hope I will have the opportunity to ask him a number of questions. I’m coming without a lawyer and will submit the questions myself, and I will present evidence to back up the claims, Nikoloski said.

Zaev’s involvement in the racketeering scandal was widely reported, but prosecutors did not dare investigate him – the investigation stopped after ensuring the conviction of Zaev’s former top ally in the judiciary, Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva. Nikoloski was also crucial in revealing Zaev’s involvement in the Daka scandal, and for this he faces slander charges from the Zaev family.