The VMRO-DPMNE party today revealed additional documents about the shell company which Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce tried to insert in the purchase of coronavirus vaccines from China. The use of the Stabri company – set up in American Samoa and then registered in Hong Kong, despite it obviously being an off-shore shell company, prompted the Chinese Sinopharm company to withdraw from the deal leaving Macedonia without a reliable supply of vaccines as the country faces a major new wave in the epidemic.

Mitko Lefkov from VMRO held a press conference today during which he produced registry documents showing that the company was set up in September 2017, only several months after the creation of the Zoran Zaev led Government. This indicated that the company was purpose made for procurement contracts with his Government.

Lefkov revealed that the company was set up with just 1,000 dollars in capital and has only three employees, making a procurement such as the vaccine deal with China far out of its reach. Lefkov called on the state prosecutors to investigate the company immediately and determine who really stands behind it and why was Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce so determined to use it, even risking the failure of a crucial procurement contract.

Filipce announced that he will press charges against Lefkov for the allegations, and insisted that the documents he produced were false. Previously, after several leaked documents were published by the Italian La Verita company, Filipce confirmed their authenticity and acknowledged that he tried using this shell company for the deal.