SDSM leader Dimitar Kovacevski dismissed allegations from VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski about a high level meeting in the villa of President Pendarovski, where the DUI – SDSM coalition plotted to offer amnesty for corruption charges to former officials. The plan, that was largely implemented, apparently was to support people from the former VMRO-DPMNE leadership who faced politically motivated criminal charges, in the hope that they will then create a faction in the party just before the elections.

There was no such meeting in the Villa Vodno, and we did not discuss changes to any law there. I reject these allegations, Kovacevski said.

He tried to blame VMRO-DPMNE for not blocking the changes to the criminal code, that were proposed and voted into law by SDSM and DUI members in Parliament. The changes helped former officials, such as Saso Mijalkov, avoid sentencing in a number of high level cases, and completely eroded what was left of the trust in the rule of law in the country.

Mickoski insists that the meeting included Kovacevski, Pendarovski and DUI party leaders Ali Ahmeti and Artan Grubi, who came up with the idea to use the politically motivated criminal cases one more time, hoping to divide the opposition.