Double murder suspect Ljupcho Palevski Palcho denied any involvement in the murders of Vanja Gjorchevska and Panche Zhezhovski when questioned at the Public Prosecutor’s Office, his defense team stated following the lengthy interrogation on Wednesday.

Palevski’s lawyer, Marjan Vitanovski, announced that the defense would provide evidence to support Palevski’s claim of innocence. He alleged that Palevski had “previous enmities” and “political misunderstandings with some government officials.”

Vitanovski said Palevski “completely denies any specific connection with the crime,” “denies the existence of any agreement to commit this crime,” and “claims that he is not guilty.”

“We don’t know what evidence the prosecution has, because until this stage of the proceedings we have not had the opportunity to inspect it. For now, we stick to his claim that he is not the perpetrator of the crime at all,” Vitanovski stated.

On December 6 of last year, Palevski was arrested in Balikesir, Turkey, under an international warrant. He was extradited on May 15 and taken to Shutka prison, appearing before a pre-trial judge on May 21.

On May 31, the Skopje Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against four individuals in connection with the murders of 14-year-old Vanja Gjorchevska and 74-year-old Panche Zhezhovski.

The defendants are charged under the Criminal Code with accessory to murder, murder, abduction, and accessory to abduction. “As accessories to crime, together with another suspect for whom the investigation for the said crimes is ongoing, they planned the abduction of the 14-year-old Vanja Gjorchevska to force a member of her immediate family to pay a ransom,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated in a press release.

The girl’s father is charged with accessory to abduction, as he had shared information about his daughter’s morning routine.

The public prosecutor also submitted a proposal to the Skopje-based Criminal Court to extend the detention and house arrest measures for the defendants.