In a press release, the OJO service of state prosecutors condemned the announcement from opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski that he has the transcripts of sworn testimonies given to prosecutors in the major racketeering scandal.

Yesterday, following the failed negotiations on the future of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Mickoski warned that OJO prosecutors and Zaev’s regime are attempting a cover – up of the scandal and are concealing the names of officials from Zaev’s SDSM party who were involved in the extortion of millions of euros from businessmen. Mickoski didn’t share the documents with the public, he only showed them to the journalists, but said that he will publish them if the prosecutors continue to botch the investigation.

The OJO press release insists that employees in its service must not leak such documents to the opposition.

Whistleblowers can do so only in cases when no charges are filed, but in this case we are talking about an investigation which is in an advanced stage and the leaking of the transcripts would amount to violating the secrecy of the procedure, which is a crime, OJO said in its press release.

Although Mickoski didn’t publish the documents, OJO insists that the documents did not come from their files.

Mickoski responded by inviting the prosecutors to file charges against him if they want to, adding that he expects as much from a politically controlled service.

At this point I have not yet been summoned by OJO posecutors, but given that we are at the height of Zaev’s regime, I fully expect that he orders prosecutor Vilma Ruskoska and judge Dobrila Kacarska to go after me. So, go ahead, prosecute me, charge me, arrest me, Mickoski said.

OJO made its initial two arrests in mid July, but despite clear indications that high level Government officials were involved in the racketeering scandal, since then only Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva was added to the list of defendants. OJO prosecutors had to be prodded by the public and receive public rebukes from diplomats to gather courage to interrogate several SDSM party officials for their role in the racketeering scandal.