“Fortress” – destroying the wiretapping equipment

Soon after the first “bomb” was published, several persons from MOI’s leadership began destroying the contemporary wiretapping equipment – the SPO claims in the investigation under code name “Fortress”

30 March 2016 – This investigation is (in)directly related to the main issue that should be disclosed by this prosecution office, who, why, when and how has been wiretapping citizens of the RM, without having the legal grounds to do so.

The SPO, through indications obtained from the wiretapped conversations, is investigating who, how and when has been destroying bits of the contemporary wiretapping equipment.

In addition, the target group in the search for evidences is the leadership of the MOI, including the former Minister of Interior. Here’s what the prosecutor Lenche Ristoska explained in the press conference:

In this case, suspects are two chiefs of Departments in the Administration for Security and Counterintelligence (UBK, our remark) and the Minister of Interior who, in the first half of 2015 abused their office and authorization, breached their authorization and intentionally backed by the suspected Chief of one of Administration’s units, destroyed the communication interception systems, and damaged the country’s funds and the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia in the amount of 10.000.000,00 euro or 615.000.000,00 denar.

As evident, this is the first investigation that includes suspicions for damage in the Budget of the RM.

All details regarding this investigation given at that time can be found here (in Macedonian).

A part of what the media presented regarding this investigation can be found here (in Macedonian).

INDICTMENT

15 September 2016 – The investigation on who and how has been wiretapping and how has been trying to cover up the traces was presented in the “Fortress” case, and several months later, in September the same year, the first indictment regarding the destruction of evidences was issued.

That day, the special prosecutor Katica Janeva announced two indictments, which were presented by the prosecutor Fatime Fetai, whereas the prosecutor Lenche Ristoska answered the journalistic questions.

Here’s what the prosecutor Fetai said during her presentation of the indictment against 7 persons from the MOI for forging an official document, for acts related to the destruction of the expensive wiretapping equipment:

By initiating an investigation in order to provide evidences on who has been, what means has used and why has been illegally wiretapping in the Republic of Macedonia, and besides what was announced in the “Fortress” case, this prosecution office obtained exhibits about other crimes committed with the aim to prevent the disclosure of the aforesaid, who, how and why has been wiretapping. In that regard, the evidences showed that the principal defendant, an official in the Fifth administration in UBK, has illegally formed a committee on destroying the official documentation and alongside with the six members of the committee they have destroyed 2.047 official files, out of which 22 are related to the communication interception systems.

All details from the presentation of this indictment are available here (in Macedonian).

All details of what the media said about this indictment are available here (in Macedonian).

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