The Special Public Prosecution (SPP) have opened a new investigation under the name ‘Transporter’, which will be investigating serious abuse of power in the transportation fo students involving 22 people, including the Mayor of Bitola, Vladimir Taleski and the President of Municipal Commission for Public Procurement.
At today’s press conference, prosecutor Fatime Fetai announced that the those in the case are suspected of abuse of office and authority, and have caused damaged in the form of 360,000 euros from the state budget.
“Today you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the most expensive transportation for students paid by local government of the city of consuls beyond all legal norms. This case was taken from the prosecutor’s office in Bitola, which had already commissioned an economic expertise for purchases in Bitola. The Mayor of Bitola in agreement with the directors of schools and transport agencies “Hera Tours”, “Transkop Inc.”, “Dzam Tours”, “Bobi Tours”, “Marija trans”, “Hera transport”, and “Gopesh trans”, and others, causing a total of damage amounting to 365,000 euros in just two academic years. The involvement of the Mayor and Chairman of the Committee on Public Procurement and the owner of the accounting office, who did the books of the transportation companies who received the tenders”, said Fetai.
In this abuse of office and authority, school principals and directors of local companies were involved, who all dealt with student transportation. Mostly, only four companies received the tenders, and happen to be closely related to Mayor Taleski and the President of the Public Procurement Commission.
The press conference held by the SPP was attended by diplomatic representatives in the country. British Ambassador Charles Garrett, German Ambassador Christine Althauzer, Italian Ambassador Ernesto Massimino Bellelli, Dutch Ambassador Wouter Plomp and others were all their in support..
The prosecutors said that despite President Gjorge Ivanov decision to grant pardons to politicians, they will continue with their work, however, property that has been illegally obtained can not be pardoned, and that it is subject to confiscation.
