Wiretapping scandal set 3: Ljube Boshkoski’s arrest

The first conversation is between Dragan Pavlovikj – Latas and Sasho Mijalkov and it begins with the now familiar “hello superintendent”. Mijalkov is laughing and is describing the details to Latas regarding Ljube Boshkoski’s arrest in front of the “Vodenica” restaurant on 6 June 2011, a day after the snap parliamentary elections. Also, Mijalkov “promises” that Boshkoski is going to get eight years in prison. This conversation is full of vulgarity, whereupon Mijalkov is promising “a special treatment” for Boshkoski in the prison…

The second presented conversation is again between the same two interlocutors, and it again begins with “superintendent” whereupon they are talking about the voter turnout, around 5 hours before the polling stations are closed. Furthermore, they are talking about the development of the situation regarding the voting results, whereupon Latas forecasts at least 50 VMRO-DPMNE’s MPs, and Mijalkov says that “at least 50 MPs goes without saying”. Then, they are talking about what Ljube Boshkoski deserves and how much money will Mijalkov gain from the filed lawsuits against him. Afterwards, they are mentioning Branko Crvenkovski as well, and by the end Mijalkov says that “it will be better” the next day, assuring Latas that they will be talking again and that Mijalkov would explain what he had in mind.

The third conversation is again between Mijalkov and Latas, whereupon Mijalkov is requesting from Latas to broadcast better footages on the “Sitel” TV station related to the arrest, saying that “Kanal 5’s” footages have been “three times better”. Mijalkov assures Latas that there are better footages in which Boshkoski is laying on the ground “with the egg on his face”, and orders a special regime for the night when the arrested is taken to court, so the news can “present something nicer”. Latas is promising that he is going to do his best in order to finish the task.

The next conversation is between “Kanal 5’s” owner, Emil Stojmenov” and Sasho Mijalkov, whereupon it becomes familiar that Mijalkov has notified him about arrests right after the elections. Afterwards, they are talking about the “editorial policy” – Mijalkov requests reporters in front of the court and also broadcasting the complete recorded video materials in the news with no pixelated faces. Stojmenov, on the other hand, requests an arrest of Ljubcho (probably meaning Ljubcho Georgievski) for his own pleasure. Then they begin using vulgarities, while “forecasting” what “junkies” are going to do to Boshkoski in Shutka’s prison and they also make fun of Velija Ramkovski and “A1” TV station.

Next, we hear two conversations between Gordana Jankuloska and Martin Protugjer. In the first one, Protugjer warns Jankuloska that five buses from Prilep are on their way to Skopje, carrying people to the “protest for Ljube” organized by the “commies”, and he requests to send those buses to Vehicle examination immediately obstruct the trips and Jankuloska assures him that he does not have to worry because “they” will “cope with them”. In the next conversation, Protugjer requests “to broadcast” a talk “found out by Kanal 5” that Boshkoski “has been talking… to ‘sell’ the name of Macedonia, to do this, to do that”. Jankuloska says that it is better to wait until a charge is filed and Boshkoski is sent to prison, and then “it will be easy”…

After Protugjer’s announcement that he is going to take over all the municipal committees from Boshkoski, i.e. from his party, United for Macedonia (UM), and he is going to destroy it, whilst Jankuloska requests something to be done against those who “have been on VMRO-DPMNE’s side during the elections”. She also mentions people from Boshkoski’s security guard from the time when he was a Minister of Interior, as well as others who have been listed in the candidate list. Furthermore, they pay a great deal of attention to “Tomche”, “Biljana” and “Natalija” as well as the commies who “attend Rada’s press conference” and also Jankuloska insists on “cleansing” everyone objectionable before the new government is formed.

The last conversation is a consultation between the Minister Jankuloska and her public relations deputy, Ivo Kotevski, whereupon Kotevski asks whether they should give images from the arrest to the newspapers and they also agree to publish the less violent footages, because there have been footages showing Boshkoski with a gun in his mouth. Jankuloska allows sending to the media footages where Boshkoski is laying on the asphalt, which are “polite” for Kotevski. At the end of this conversation, Kotevski notifies his superior that journalists from “Telma” TV stations have asked him about the murdered boy on the main square (the murder of Martin Neshkoski), whereupon he calls the journalists “idiots”…

All of the “bombs” are here.

Press conference of Zoran Zaev, president of SDSM, in Skopje, 20th of February 2015

(Below you will find the transcripts in English of the records played in this press conference)

Conversation between Dragan Pavlovik Latas and Saso Mijalkov (the day after elections)

SM: Ahoy superintendent.
DPL: Is it right others to tell me that after…… w…t…f…
SM: C’mon, I answer [you calls]… I call you, but you don’t pick up the phone. You, but also the fat-man, don’t answer.
DPL: I was at the bank, making a payment. No, I was notified just five minutes before you [called].
SM: Hold on now. I was in a big hassle, you know, and this was a race against time…
DPL: Now, they really caught him with hundred Gs in cash?
SM: Yes, he threw away the money, hundred Gs. Five-six…ten stashes of ten Gs.
DPL: Ouch, ouch, ouch.
SM: He laid there for half an hour, face down, cuffed. Journalists came and photographed, they destroyed him completely. He had screamed: Saso Mijalkov set me up, shedding tears.
DPL: Wow, wow, wow.
SM: He had said: Saso Mijakov fucked me up. Cuffed, with his hands behind, like Strauss-Kahn.
DPL: Good. Wait, wait, what did he say, where did he get the hundred thousand from?
SM: I’ll tell you. He took them for the campaign, illegally, illegal financing of the campaign. This is his third time. Once he took ten, once twenty, and now one hundred thousand. That’s a criminal offence equal to minimum five years.
DPL: Hold on, from whom did he take?
SM: He took it from a man.
DPL: But, somewhere abroad?
SM: What?
DPL: Abroad or here?
SM: Here, here, at Mullino [restaurant].
DPL: Aha, at Mulluno. They wrote me at the border.
SM: At Mullino, not the border!?
DPL: Au, he has become cocky.
SM: He was lying down for 40 minutes, everybody was watching.
DPL: Wow, wow, wow.
SM: They turned him with the head towards the toilet, with cuffs on. People were watching.
DPL: Wow, wow, wow.
SM: I fucked him right, what else can I tell you.
DPL: Let’s see him gibber now.
SM: …..What?
DPL: Now he and Velija will hang around together.
SM: They’ll celebrate victory with Velija.
DPL: Yes, yes, yes.
SM: This will amount to eight years [imprisonment], you should know.
DPL: Look, he’ll spend 30 days with Velija, and afterwards we’ll see.
SM: What thirty days!? He won’t be out until ordered to serve his sentence; there’ll be no thirty days, what’s with you.
DPL: No, no. I meant he’ll be with Velija for minimum thirty days.
SM: Don’t know, but I’ll send a well gifted person to f**k him inside. Velija can’t f**k him good. What about that?
DPL:….I think Johan, Johan will cry when he finds out. Out of happiness, I mean.
SM: Of course. Didn’t I tell you, from Monday I start arresting. Didn’t I?
DPL: What an asshole! Fucking bastard. He took hundred Gs in cash.
SM: I told you. Elections are over and next day [good bye].
DPL: Imagine, taking hundred Gs for a campaign he is not paying for, his campaign was without money.
SM: Yes, yes. That’s serious abuse.
DPL: So, hundred Gs.
SM: You know, he’s packed with evidence against him, with everything, can’t move, even God cannot save him.
DPL: Who’s the man that gave him the money?
SM: A man gave him. He’s protected witness. That must not be discussed.
DPL: OK. OK.
SM: That’s it. Bye.
DPL: Ciao.

Conversation between Dragan Pavlovik Latas and Saso Mijalkov (on the Election Day)

SM: I think we’ll surprise. You should know. An intuition tells me so, although I don’t want to jinx it.
DPL: I think it would be as we are discussing. No surprises on one or the other side. Fifty MPs, minimum, in Macedonia. That’s minimum. It should be enough.
You can coalition with one, or with another. Take LDP, if they win a seat, to strengthen [the coalition], make it more appealing, and end up with 56-57 [MPs].
SM: It will be even better, and what’s better I’ll tell you tomorrow.
DPL: Good.
SM: We’ll speak tomorrow and I’ll tell you what I’m referring to now.
DPL: You look into this matter, in Ohrid.
SM: Ha, ha, ha.

Conversation between Dragan Pavlovik Latas and Saso Mijalkov (2)

DPL: Speak superintendent.
SM: Halo?
DPL: Yes?
SM: You should have better photos on air, this [coverage] is weak, you should know. On TV Kanal 5 it was three times better, what’s the matter?
DPL: I didn’t watch Kanal 5.
SM: C’mon, this should be sold strong, to f**k his brains out.
DPL: Look, we’ll replay this for five days, what stronger?
SM: Is that so?
DPL: We’ll replay it for five days.
SM: There are better [photos], lying on the ground, how he… Hold [the fortress], for God’s sake.
DPL: I’ll tell her now. I am on [air] tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll retell the story, don’t worry.
SM: Tomorrow? Good, but also today, you know. Everything went well today, but for the evening [news], you can do much better. See to it.
DPL: I’ll call you again. Bye now.
SM: OK, this evening there should be [images of] entering the court, leaving the court. But [photos] of him lying down on the street, as cattle. What you say?
DPL: When they bring him around the car, that should be captured.
SM: I’ll see to it now.
DPL: I’ll tell [my people] that are there now.

Conversation between Emil Stojmenov and Saso Mijalkov

SM: I promised one thing: from Monday I start arresting.
ES: I saw, but you, you didn’t wait…. you are one strong-headed b*****d, we were laughing.
SM: I couldn’t wait. I exactly waited for the 5th [June], the campaign to be over, to see who is who, and from the 6th [June] start arresting.
ES: Buddy, hats off for what you pulled today. I was surprised, I couldn’t believe. I know that you told me, but I thought from Wednesday, lucky day. You started today, full throttle.
SM: No, no. I said I start Monday and that’s it. And, I started with the most handsome person for arrest.
ES: With the flamboyant, he’s the most handsome, I give you that.
SM: With the dandy.
ES: With the dandy. Scheveningen should see this now in Skopje, stupid SOB.
SM: Send cameras to the court now.
ES: OK.
SM: They are bringing him to court.
ES: Understood.
SM: Also, you have camera [footage] outside of Mullino.
ES: Have it. We watched it at 5 o’clock.
SM: Listen!
ES: Say?
SM: I see, you know, don’t …You’ll play the original as it was filmed, don’t blur faces or anything.
ES: No, no way. They played it on the 5 o’clock [news] with the gun and everything. I watched it on TV Kanal 5.
SM: That’s how it should be.
ES: I watched it, we have the footage.
SM: I didn’t watch only TV Kanal 5. Had a meeting in the other room.
ES: No worries buddy.
SM: It will go as is, right?
ES: Of course, buddy, what’s with you, we didn’t cover [his accusations]…
SM: F**k him…
ES: You know what else would make my day, if you arrest Ljupco and we’re done… all by the book…..
SM: We’ll talk.
ES: Mother f***er. Are you good?
SM: Aren’t you happy about this one?
ES: Hell yes. We didn’t cover him, not for a second, me, who babbled all the time.
SM: But this is good, 5th is over, on 6th – arrest.
ES: That’s right. A friend here says now he’ll think of Scheveningen as Holliday Inn, he would beg to go back.
SM: He’s in Sutka now. He’ll get what he deserves. He’ll be f**ked by junkies.
ES: Let them f**k him, he deserves. He blabbed a lot.
SM: Junkies, cause he likes to hang out with them.
ES: Yes, he prided himself with being a city slicker. Have you heard what goes around: Velija woke up this morning and asked what day it is, and they lied to him that it’s 4th, not 6th.
SM: What, is that a joke?
ES: Yes. Brico says the television is not called A1, but AZ1, you understand.
SM: ARREST 1, ha? That’s a good joke. Listen, I wanted to buy a round for today, I’ll call you. Bye.
ES: I’ll wait for a meeting, you and me, and let’s finish these two things already.
SM: Yes, yes, both things.
ES: OK. Ciao.
SM: Yes.

Conversation between Gordana Jankuloska and Martin Protoger (1)

GJ: Yes, halo?
MP: Gorde?
GJ: Speak?
MP: Hey, I just wrote to Saso, allegedly some five buses departed from Prilep.
GJ: Let them.
MP: The commies are organizing them, for the protest.
GJ: So what? It’s no problem, let them hit the road.
MP: Technical inspection, you know.
GJ: Yes, of course. Why do you worry, we’ll arrange that.
MP: Good, good.
GJ: OK. Bye.
MP: Ciao.

Conversation between Gordan Jankuloska and Marting Protoger (2)

MP: Hey Goca.
GJ: How are you?
MP: Usual. You?
GJ: Same here.
MP: What’s up?
GJ: Nothing. This will go through smoothly, right?
MP: What thing? Yes, of course.
GJ: Just asking.
MP: It went well with ours [TV outlets], but A1 put his wife on air, she cried, where is my husband, there’s nobody to turn to, pre-arranged processes, Johan, Sonja.
GJ: What do Johan or Sonja have to do with it?
MP: She was plucking her hair. It would be good if you announce what it’s all about, you know.
GJ: We announced, announced.
MP: You announced everything?
GJ: Yes. Ivo held a press, which finished seconds ago, you know, cause…
MP: What did he say on the press?
GJ: Illegal financing of the campaign, has taken money on three occasions, once ten Gs, then twenty Gs, and hundred Gs, caught with the money. We said what we can, everything. I saw the footage made by the ours, pitiful sight, a ZARA bag and bills of hundreds hanging out of the bag.
MP: Can we…?
GJ: The bag was packed, full of money.
MP: Wait. Can we, in addition to this, release the rumor?
GJ: Depends. In what format is the rumor packed?
MP: To tell what happened. TV Kanal 5 learns this and that…. he was selling the name, he did this.
GJ: Let’s keep that for tomorrow or the day after. Let me write the charges today, cause you know, we must hurry to have the arraignment act, not to allow any tensions. Once he enters Sutka, it’s a completely different story.
MP: Listen, as of tomorrow I start taking over all of his committees. I’ll dismantle his party within a week, everybody in the entire state.
GJ: That’s great. But Martin, we must make a list, we need to extirpate them.
MP: What do you mean, extirpate them?
GJ: Nicely. We can’t pay salaries to those [employed] in the institutions who were giving us hard time during the campaign. In my institution, for example, people who were his security will not work anymore at MOI. They will not work anywhere.
MP: No, no, no. Look, the key people that were the most vociferous, they need to be thought a lesson. Biljana, Tomce and their people, they need to be expelled, I told “the man”, as of today, they all must be kicked out.
GJ: Yes, yes. You see, there are policemen from my institution and they were on Ljube’s ballot list.
MP: So, the people that smeared us the most. As for the others, those who had been misled, you know, some have been….
GJ: Yes, yes, our members, to use the words of B.C, shmucks that have been tricked. But Tomce cannot have his entire family working at the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, Biljana cannot, you know…
MP: I’ll take care of that.
GJ: Other people, like Natalija, I don’t know where she’s employed, all the most prominent people should be thought a lesson. Same should be done with the commies. I will not have a person that stood next to Rada, yesterday, on the press, working at a state institution. I don’t know who they are, but I’m assuming that… We need a thorough analysis, to clean [the institutions] before the new Government takes office.
MP: Allow me.
GJ: They have exaggerated. They put us through hell.

Conversation between Gordana Jankuloska and Ivo Kotevski

GJ: Yes?
IK: Halo, just a quick question because there is not enough time, and the newspapers are hounding me. Photos?
GJ: Give them.
IK: On the video recordings there were some —- they told me, cause I’m on my way up to the office, violent scenes.
GJ: Well, select the less violent.
IK: That’s what I though. Him being pinned to the ground can go on air, but Puki and some of the other guys have put guns in his mouth.
GJ: Those should not be released.
IK: But it’s OK to release him lying down on the asphalt, right?
GJ: Yes, of course.
IK: Those are cultural, after all.
GJ: Yes and the entire Skopje saw him.
IK: Yes, even Strauss-Kahn was apprehended with cuffs. The morons from A1 were asking me about this.
GJ: OK. I’m watching A1 now, we are agreed about this.
IK: And A1 asked about the child murdered on the square. Idiots.
GJ: OK. Ciao.

All comments and remarks regarding this and other Vistinomer articles, correction and clarification requests as well as suggestions for fact-checking politicians’ statements and political parties’ promises can be submitted by using this form