An official of the Transportation Ministry testified today that she was threatened by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, through former Transportation Minister Goran Sugareski, to make a false claim that would be used in one of the political show trials against VMRO-DPMNE officials.

Aneta Jordanova worked in the Ministry and was tasked to prepare a report about a failed Israeli investment near Skopje. Under the Nikola Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE led Government, the Israeli company was planning to build a residential neighborhood near Skopje called Sun City, and was allowed to purchase state owned land. The company eventually gave up on the idea, and the contract was rescinded. Zaev used Katica Janeva’s Special Prosecutor’s Office to initiate a case against former Transportation Minister Mile Janakieski and other Ministry officials for alleged abuse. Janakieski is one of the most prosecuted people in the country and the main target of the Zaev regime, after Gruevski received political asylum in Hungary.

Jordanova prepared a report in which she stated that there was no damage inflicted on the state interests, as the contract was rescinded on request of the Macedonian side and no financial damage was caused in the process.

There was no damage caused to the state budget, she told the court today.

But this prompted threats from prosecutors from Janeva’s unit and other state officials, and eventually from the SDSM appointed Transportation Minister Sugareski.

I received a message from Minister Sugareski. It said that he was called by the Prime Minister and was told to fire the person who signed the report stating that there was no damage to the budget, Jordanova said. She added that she later signed a new report, just to keep her job.