Despite the submission of an indictment for the case known as “The Chain,” the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption has continued its investigation. This procedure stems from evidence obtained during the prosecution’s submission of the indictment in the “Singjir”(chain) case.

Based on additional evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office has now submitted an indictment to the Basic Criminal Court of Skopje against fifteen individuals employed at the General Tax Inspectorate of the IRS and the IRS Regional Directorates in Skopje, Bitola, and Prilep. All defendants are charged with a prolonged crime: Abuse of Official Position and Authority under Article 353, Paragraph 4 in connection with Paragraph 1, and Article 45 of the Criminal Code.

The indictment alleges that between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021, the defendants, as officials of the Public Revenue Administration, failed to fulfill their official duties with the intent to provide significant financial benefits to others or to cause substantial financial harm. Their actions were contrary to the Law on Tax Procedure, the Law on the Public Revenue Administration, and several other relevant regulations, including the Procedure for External Control and the Rulebook for Internal Organization of the Public Revenue Administration.

As a result, certain legal entities involved in the “Sindjir”(chain) case, which had submitted mandatory tax returns and annual final accounts to the IRS Regional Directorates in Prilep, Bitola, and Skopje, gained illicit financial benefits totaling 167,918,419 denars, causing a total loss to the IRS of 206,456,437 denars.

Given that the defendants are public officials who allegedly committed these crimes in the course of their duties, and considering that they could become unavailable to law enforcement, thereby obstructing the legal process, the prosecution has also filed a special motion requesting that the court impose precautionary measures on the defendants.

Additionally, the prosecution noted that a related case is already being processed in the Specialized Court Department for the trial of crimes in the field of organized crime and corruption at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje. This case involves natural and legal persons accused of Criminal Association (Article 394, Paragraphs 1 and 2), Tax Evasion (Article 279, Paragraph 2 in connection with Paragraph 1, Article 45), and Money Laundering (Article 273, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code). As a result, the prosecution has submitted a separate motion requesting that the two cases be merged into a single procedure, citing a strong connection between the crimes and the evidence in both cases.