During its urgent session on Thursday, the Judicial Council made the decision to temporarily assign newly elected Skopje Appellate Court judge, Aleksandra Risteska, to the Skopje-based Criminal Court. This decision was made to avoid potential complications in the ongoing ‘Laskarci’ bus crash case, in which Risteska is a member of the trial council.

The concern was that Risteska’s election as a judge at the Skopje Appellate Court might lead to a retrial (trial de novo) in the ‘Laskarci’ case, which has been ongoing for over four years. The verdict announcement for the ‘Laskarci’ case is scheduled for January 25, 2024.

The individuals facing charges in the ‘Laskarci’ case, related to a bus accident on February 13, 2019, are Durmish Beluli (owner of ‘Durmo Tours’), Remzi Miftari, and the bus driver, Manoil Trifunovski. They are accused of committing serious offenses against the safety of people and property in traffic. Judge Diana Gruevska Ilievska is presiding over the trial.

In addition to Risteska, the newly elected judges at the Skopje Appellate Court, including Gabriela Gajdova, Vesna Dimishkova, Osman Shabani, Aleksandar Shopov, Irena Kostadinova Angelova, Natalija Doneva, and Ilir Sulejmani, were sworn in on Thursday during a ceremony before the Judicial Council.