Institute led by Zaev’s adviser tried to defend him against racketeering allegations, claims the Katica Janeva scandal was “engineered”

The highly politicized IFIMES institute from Slovenia, whose director Zijad Bekirovic is a paid adviser of Zoran Zaev, published a report which denies any criminality in the major racketeering scandal. Even as Zaev insists that he will allow and encourage prosecutors to investigate the scandal which brought down Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva in full, his adviser Bekirovic describes it as a Russian plot, proposes a new round of mass arrests of the Macedonian opposition and insists that the task of the intelligence agencies is to protect his boss Zaev as opposed to fighting crime.

North Macedonia will continue to be under attacks and attempts to discredit its leaders and institutions. Experience has shown that Montenegro underwent similar attacks until it became full member of NATO. The international intelligence operation known as “racket” was skilfully designed outside North Macedonia with carefully selected actors and their roles. North Macedonia did not have the appropriate counterintelligence service to protect its Prime Minister Zoran Zaev (SDSM) and other political leaders, the IFIMES report, based on anonymous “analysts”, says.

The well documented actions by Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva and her associates to extort money from businessmen are described by IFIMES as “international intelligence operation against the Republic of North Macedonia and its leaders with the aim to discredit, criminalize, eliminate and eventually overthrow Zoran Zaev and his government”.

The attempts to discredit the Macedonian opposition by accusing it of working for Russia is frequently used by Zaev’s regime. The IFIMEs report also advises Zaev to “carry out a police operation similar to the Sabre operation that was carried out in Serbia in 2003” – the mass arrests conducted after the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

IFIMES famously declared Katica Janeva as the best prosecutor in the Balkans. The IFIMES “analysis” also predicts a crisis in the Balkans and the coming overthrow of the rulers of Albania and Kosovo.