The only time someone from SDSM is held accountable for something he did is when there is a fight between the clans within the party, said seasoned journalist Dragan Pavlovic – Latas. He was discussing the arrest of Zoran Zaev’s top adviser Dragi Raskovski on corruption charges, which was to a large extent drummed up by media outlets normally loyal to the ruling party, but to factions rival to Zaev. Raskovski’s arrest coincided with the announcement from Radmila Sekerinska that she will withdraw from the number two position in the party.

Raskovski was betrayed by his own people. How did the journalists get documents from within the Government? Somebody on the inside gave them away, Latas said during a TV interview, adding that otherwise no SDSM official is ever held accountable.

Latas also warned that the Government is under an investigation from the US Drug Enforcement Agency, after a transport of marijuana apparently originating from a farm owned by the Zaev family was intercepted near Prilep.

President Pendarovski claims he doesn’t know the head of the Grcec drug gang – says he just took a picture with him for election purposes

You look at Facebook, it is full of pictures of SDSM party officials with known drug runners. The prosecutors are investigating the police for leaking tactical information to drug gangs. Our police is under investigation and DEA are not naive and they have identified the Zaev Government as partner of the drug mafia, Latas said. Regarding the mafia passports scandal, in which the Interior Ministry was found to be issuing passports to regional criminals, Latas dismissed claims from SDSM that the VMRO-DPMNE party, which revealed the scandal, somehow obstructed an active investigation with its press conferences. Latas noted that the news that Serbian mobsters are using Macedonian passports under assumed identities were widely reported since 2018.

A possible way out of the on-going crisis, Latas believes, would be the creation of an expert Government led by a well known businessman such as Alkaloid manager Trajce Muaketov or Saso Naumovski from Vitaminka. “The top man needs to be a person who will not be extorted by people like Dragi Raskovski. At the very least, an expert Government could ensure relatively fair elections. Neither VMRO-DPMNE nor SDSM will like the idea but an expert Government can tone down the hatred, Latas said.