Skopje Public Prosecutor’s Office Chief Prosecutor Gavril Bubevski announced at a media briefing that there are no new suspects in the murder case of Vanja and Panche. He expressed confidence that the extradition procedure for the prime suspect, Ljupcho Palevski Palcho, from Turkey will be completed soon, as the legal part regarding extradition has been finalized.

Bubevski described the case as being at a “serious stage” and assured that there is no evidence linking partisan influence to the actions in the case, even though the political party “Desna,” associated with some of the suspects, has resumed its activities.

The victims, 14-year-old Vanja and 74-year-old Panche, were reported missing in late November and found dead near Skopje and Veles on December 3. Ljupcho Palevski Palcho faces charges of abduction and murder, while Velibor Manevski, Vlatko Keshishov, and Bore Videvski are charged with abduction and accessory to murder. Vanja’s father, Aleksandar Gjorchevski, is charged with accessory to abduction for allegedly sharing information about his daughter’s routine. Stefan Dimkovski is charged with aiding Palevski’s escape to Turkey.