Vilma Ruskoska, prosecutor notorious for her close ties to the ruling SDSM party and her role in the campaign of political persecution against VMRO-DPMNE officials, was removed from position today. Ruskoska complemented the role of Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva in the campaign against VMRO, but she eventually put Janeva away for racketeering and took over her role. Ruskoska then continued to go after other SDSM and DUI party officials, as part of intra-party power struggles.

After one of these moves, earlier this year, when she ordered a raid on the office of Financial Police director Arafat Muaremi, Ruskoska was reprimanded by chief Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski, who suspended her and began the process of her removal. It was widely reported that Ruskoska is removed from her powerful position because she wanted to file charges against Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski for his culpability in the deadly bus accident on the Skopje – Tetovo highway in 2019.

Ruskoska was an outspoken supporter of the Colored Revolution, that brought SDSM to power and started the campaign of arrests of VMRO-DPMNE officials. Her participation in street protests led to criticism of politization of the judiciary. Her most prominent case was against the participants in the April 27th incident in the Parliament. The trial was used to pressure three VMRO members of Parliament to vote for the imposed name change in exchange for amnesty. While these officials and protest organizers were given amnesties, simple protesters were given on average more than a decade in prison, and remain imprisoned to this day, publicly used as political bargaining chips by SDSM in their subsequent negotiations with VMRO, over the new round of concessions that Macedonia is asked to make in favor of Bulgaria.

Due to her age, Ruskoska said that she will retire after her removal from office.