Eighteen Gostivar citizens and one Skopje citizen are suspected as members and supporters of the criminal group operating in the western part of the country, informed representatives of MOI.
In a police action under the operational name “Sledgehammer”, 15 members of the group were arrested this morning, while two suspects are out of the country, and two other suspects are still at large.
Five people are suspected as organizers of the criminal group, which began to operate in 2008, mainly on the territory of the Municipality of Gostivar, and among the suspects there are four lawyers and one executor, who helped in the preparation of fictitious contracts and documentation.
According to the police, organizers and members of the group are suspected of crimes criminal association, extortion, usury and money laundering and criminal charges are filed to against them to the public prosecutor. Charge was also filed against the company Golden Place MM, whose owner and manager is the wife of one of the organizers of the criminal group.
The lawyers and the executor are charged with criminal association, document forgery, use of false documents and abuse of official position and authority.
– The motive of the criminal group was acquiring unlawful profits of the crimes, which then they put into legal payment flow, for which purpose they used many private companies, bank accounts, investments in real estate and vehicles, real estate acquisition, and also provided illegal loans to individuals and legal entities – said representatives of MOI.
The organizers of the group of several Gostivar citizens, among who there were owners of companies, gave them loans with usurious interest of 8 to 20 percent.
– Once they would have brought them to illiquid economic situation, they would make serious verbal threats, physical attacks, and then would force them to sign false notary and attorney contracts drawn up by the lawyers. With these contracts for the purchase of real estate or vehicles, they gained the property or vehicles of several people from Gostivar and the surrounding area, or by using the services of the executor, they initiated and implemented procedures for enforcement of the property of the damaged parties – announced representatives of the Ministry of Interior.
