Prime Minister Zoran Zaev today again defended the decision to release mobster Zoran Mileski – Zoki Kiceec from prison. Kiceec was sentenced to three years in prison in the major scandal – a light sentence that reflected his plea deal with the prosecutors and his contribution to covering up Zaev’s own alleged role in the scandal. But even this light sentence in an open style prison was not implemented – he was given a medical leave during which he was involved, and likely caused, a major traffic accident in which a young father of two was killed.

We should all be equal before the law and have equal rights and obligations. Really, I don’t know the details. I know he had medical documents. I was informed of this by the director of the penal bureau. The law is clear. Report in the public immediately if there was some violation. But I know that all our citizens who are serving out a sentence, after a while, hve the right to claim weekends, vacation, medical leaves, Zaev said.

During the summer, Kiceec was photographed in bars around Ohrid he manages, making his freedom an open secret. His confession helped cut short the investigation in the Racket scandal, before it could get too close to Zaev. In another scandal, he was recorded talking to Montenegrin businessman Miodrag Davidovic – Daka about taking several hundred thousand euros to secure his meeting with Zaev and with Zaev’s confidant Dragi Raskovski. After the meeting, Zaev got the Tetovo City Council to change the spatial plan so that Daka can go ahead with a development worth tens of millions of euros.