We’ve had another escape, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said after it was revealed that the police can’t locate former state security chief Saso Mijalkov and order him to remain into house arrest. Zaev ignored media questions whether he intends to resign, or ask Government officials to resign, after the second most highest profile target of his persecution, after Nikola Gruevski, went missing. Still, Zaev insisted that the police will eventually find Mijalkov, who was reportedly in Skopje as recently as Sunday early afternoon.

As all of our people, I am also disappointed that he hasn’t been detained yet. I demand that the institutions act immediately and find him. I expect detailed reports form the executive, namely the Interior Ministry. I expect details about the case from the court, the prosecutors and the Ministry. Our people will expect accountability if the court order in one of the biggest cases in the history of Macedonia is not implemented, Zaev said after leaving the hearing in one of the numerous cases his regime is keeping up against former VMRO-DPMNE officials like Mijalkov.

Mijalkov is facing sentencing in the case in which he is accused of massive wiretapping – producing the tapes that Zaev used to grab power in 2017. Zaev was originally charged with the wiretapping, along with former security chief Zoran Verusevski who now serves as Zaev’s security adviser, but the Zaev linked prosecutors turned the case around and accused Mijalkov and other VMRO officials of conducting the wiretapping (of themselves). The prosecutor demanded 13 years in prison for Mijalkov.