The Government and state institutions spent 8.1 million EUR over the past two and a half years purchasing new vehicles. A quarter of the newly bought vehicles were priced at over 30,000 EUR, the CGK group said.

It pointed to the SOZR institution, which provides logistics for the Government, and purchased 46 Volkswagen Passats, each worth 39,000 EUR. The most expensive vehicle was bought by the Mayor of Struga Ramiz Merko – an Audi worth 66,000 EUR.

Most contracts went to Porsche Leasing, a company dealing mainly with Audi and Volkswagen cars, which sold cars worth three million EUR, while Deluks Auto from Kumanovo got contracts for 1.2 million EUR. The latter company was named in media reports as politically close to the ruling SDSM party.

During the Colored Revolution, SDSM campaigned heavily against VMRO-DPMNE, accusing the conservative party and its leader Nikola Gruevski for purchasing an armored Mercedes vehicle to be used to transport VIP visitors. Gruevski was even persecuted over the purchase and sentenced to prison, prompting him to seek political asylum in Hungary.