Counter-spin: SPO’s target is not VMRO-DPMNE, but the crimes committed by individuals from the party’s leadership

Here we do not see political confrontation with persons of a different mind, but persecution of crime and search for justice and righteousness. SPO requests liability from those who have broken the law, who have gone berserk whilst spending state money, but also from those who have used power in order to play with human destinies (as in “Torture”, Ljube Boshkoski’s case)

Author: Olivera Vojnovska

In the press conference scheduled right after the SPO announced that it issued 17 new indictments against large number of high party and former state officials from VMRO-DPMNE, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Gruevski gave the following statement, which is a political spin:

Spin: VMRO-DPMNE has been attacked. Such classic political persecution of political opponents has never happened before in the history of the Republic of Macedonia, or entire Europe for that matter. Hundreds of people, part of VMRO-DPMNE’s bodies, or its supporters are prosecuted so the party can be destroyed or silenced. It’s a political, not a legal process. SPO’s impartiality and credibility in its work have been lost long ago, and it has become an instrument for political persecution, SPO is not a prosecution office, SPO is SDSM’s office. The biggest indicator that this is a matter of political process with political goal is that the SPO makes decisions without having legal evidence. This is a political process, not legal. Such political process should finish with political, not legal goal. The target is VMRO, the target is to break VMRO, the target is political elimination and putting under control for greater goals needed for the one who has created this entire process. The target is VMRO, all of the cases are against VMRO, to break VMRO so Macedonia can be weakened… (from 0:12 to 1:57 in the video)

It’s obvious that not only Nikola Gruevski is in question here, but in question is an idea for Macedonia, strong, solid and independent, which they want to break and they are prepared to do anything to achieve that… (from 5:05 to 5:18 in the video)

[Source: VMRO-DPMNE’s website: Таргетот е ВМРО, за да се ослаби Македонија, нема да нѐ скршат; Date: 29 June 2017]

Counter-spin: The president of the former ruling party, the ex-Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, spins the truth at the very beginning of its speech, by saying:

“VMRO-DPMNE has been attacked”!

No, VMRO-DPMNE hasn’t been attacked. It’s incorrect that VMRO-DPMNE is the target. There is no persecution of political opponents. And the goal isn’t the destruction of VMRO-DPMNE so Macedonia can be weakened! The political ideology of VMRO-DPMNE, as Gruevski wants to present, while identifying himself with the party and the state as well, is not at stake. Something else is at stake, bills of indictments for committed crime. That’s Gruevski’s tribulation.

His statement has been provoked by Special Prosecution Office’s (SPO) press conference (which took place the same day at noon) and it pointed to specific persons from VMRO-DPMNE’s leadership. The SPO announced that it issued 17 indictments which cover 94 physical and 7 legal entities. It claims that it has evidence that these entities have committed crimes and requested detention for the leading political figures of VMRO-DPMNE: Gruevski, the former director of the Administration for Security and Counter-intelligence (UBK), Sasho Mijalkov, the former Ministers Mile Janakieski, Gordana Jankuloska and Elizabeta Kancheska-Milevska.

So, according to the SPO, individuals from VMRO-DPMNE’s highest management have abused power and offices, violated the Constitution and the laws, committed serious crimes and heaped wealth to the detriment of the state budget, i.e. citizens’ money. Ergo, it’s not a matter of political confrontation with persons of a different mind, but persecution of crime and search for justice and righteousness. SPO requests liability from those who have broken the law, who have gone berserk whilst spending state money, but also from those who have used power in order to play with human destinies (as in “Torture”, Ljube Boshkoski’s case).

And the sin, as Gruevski says, isn’t that they have been in the first line of defense of the state and national interests of Macedonia for 11 years, but because:

we resisted multiple pressures and threats related to the country’s name, nation’s name and language, Macedonian people’s identity, we resisted not to sign various contracts pernicious to our country, or to implement platforms of foreign countries, we fought for the unity of our country, we fought to retain the country as the people love it, not as others want it. And on top of that, somebody else has accepted differently, didn’t know how to perform all of that with strong and solid VMRO-DPMNE which has more than 170.000 members and 455.000 voters, Gruevski said. (from 2:50 to 3:50 in the video)

Not to mention the shabby theses that the country has been attacked, the national interests, language, name have been jeopardized… the sin is that certain people, according to the SPO, have been committing crimes.

Gruevski wants to impose the perception that there has been a political foray and uses the party (VMRO-DPMNE) as a cover for a longer period of time. But let’s not fool ourselves, it’s not a matter of “classic political and anti-Macedonian construction”. The thing is, specific persons are burdened by the crime they have committed and prison sentences are hanging over their heads, and while trying to save their skin they push the story of “SDSM’s tramps”, who want to “frame the entire leading set” of VMRO-DPMNE!

Still, the court is yet to state its opinion and make a decision in a legal procedure unburdened by political influences.

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