Skopje, 10 March 2022 (MIA) – Former minister of transport and communications Mile Janakieski and two other defendants in the Criminal Court case dubbed “Design” admitted guilt and have each been given two-year conditional prison sentences that will not be enforced if they do not commit a crime in the next five years. Parties have the right to appeal the sentence before the Skopje-based Appellate Court. A court hearing for another defendant, who did not admit guilt in the case, will take place on March 28. The “Design” defendants were charged with abuse of office relating to breaches in the 2009 procurement procedure of 202 double-decker buses for the Skopje public transport enterprise. The defendants favored a Chinese company in the procurement procedure, despite the absence of a bank guarantee and quality certificate, while a Bulgarian company submitted a lower bid. The case did not incur damages to the country’s Budget.