Wiretapping scandal set 1: “Everybody should know who’s in power!”

SDSM’s president, Zoran Zaev, presented nine recordings in the first press conference with which the publishing of the wiretapped conversations began.

The first one is a conversation in which he gives a statement for a journalist from the “Free Europe” radio regarding the problem with subsidies by the Ministry of Education for the municipalities. Then we hear a consultation between Zaev and the director of the public enterprise “Komunalec” from Strumica, as well as a conversation between Zaev and the vice-president of his party, Radmila Shekerinska, about the incident from the 1 June 2011, when hooligans threw plastic bottles to the car that Shekerinska was in on her way back from an electoral rally in Prilep.

Next, Zaev played the recording of a private conversation between himself and his daughter and it was followed by a long conversation between Zoran Stavreski and Gordana Jankuloska.

In the fifth presented conversation, the ministers and fellow party members talk about Tito Petkovski’s initiative in a Parliament Committee regarding the request for political accountability, as well as Jankuloska’s impeachment. Also, they talk about solving the problem with former MPs of VMRO-DPMNE, i.e. where they could be employed and how to get that through the party and the Ministry of Finance, which has to approve the employment. At this moment, Stavreski tells that he is going to have all the requests answered positively. Also, we can hear that the requests for party employments which are solicited through the Prime minister invariably get a positive answer.

At the same time, Jankuloska and Stavreski discuss the behavior of a VMRO-DPMNE’s MP as “a bumpkin from Strumica”, over and above “empty head” who fancies herself a European MP, according to them, so she thinks everything must be solved without fuss, in a diplomatic manner, unlike Pavle Sazdov, for whom they say that solves matters “slam-bang”. Stavreski then says that the MP “should be cut down to size whenever possible” and gladly comments “We did well the last time, I am really glad that we knocked the stuffing out of her at the Executive Board meeting”, and then he says “she won’t get any smarter because she is in climacteric”.

There are other details in this conversation between Jankuloska and Stavreski regarding the procurement of a new automobile and how to handle the procedure, i.e. how to formulate the tendering specification. Then they talk about deals with Norwegians and Israelis, as well as about certain things for which they have to consult Janchevski and also that they should “solve the thing with Vlajko”.

Next we hear a conversation between Ali Ahmeti and a certain person named Fatmir, who talk about some medical problem. Next, there is a conversation between Menduh Tachi and a friend, in which DPA’s president is notified about a trip the interlocutor had.

In the next conversation between Rufi Osmani and a person named Bujar, probably a journalist, they first talk about a statement that should had been recorded in Macedonian language, and then they talk about what recorded materials could have been presented on “A1” TV station, whereupon Bujar says that he is with Naim (most likely Vrenezi). Osmani on the other hand, points out that he wants to erase “that innuendo in the minds of the Macedonians that we are against the Macedonians… there is nothing of it”.

The last conversation is between Ljubcho Georgievski and an unknown person, in which they arrange a meeting.

All of the “bombs” are here.

Press conference of Zoran Zaev, the president of SDSM, in Skopje, 9th of February 2015

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