Lawyer Jovica Strasevski, defender of Gazi Baba ex-mayor Toni Trajkovski, a defendant in the TNT, made an extraordinary announcement to the public that yesterday, lay judge Lidija Ivanovska-Kocoska, whose term ended on December 24, submitted her resignation from the position of lay judge due to expiry of her term and informed the President of the Basic Criminal Court Ivan Dzolev that she no longer wanted to attend any hearings.

According to the lawyer’s information, despite the fact that the former lay judge Lidija Ivanovska-Kocoska officially submitted the resignation to the archive of the Basic Court in Skopje, it was not accepted by the court president and was urgently summoned to meet him in order to pressure her to attend hearings scheduled especially in the TNT case.

I urgently urge the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to act upon this information and tell the truth about the events in the Basic Criminal Court related to this event to the entire Macedonian public. I take this opportunity and encourage the former lay judge Lidija Ivanovska Kocovska, who by submitting her irrevocable resignation sent a powerful message, to continue to work in accordance with the laws in Macedonia, to respect and apply the rule of law, not to fall under any pressure, threats, blackmail, promises, reads Strasevski’s letter.