Skopje, 21 June 2023 (MIA) – The Judicial Council will establish a commission that will carry out an inspection at the Basic Court in Struga in order to investigate the assertions by the United States Department of State and the U.S. Ambassador Angela Aggeler, who announced Tuesday that Struga Mayor Ramiz Merko is being placed on the U.S. blacklist due to suspicions of interference in judicial processes.

“The Judicial Council will investigate the assertions of the State Department and the U.S. Ambassador and will establish a commission, which, together with the coordinator of this Court within the Council, will pay a visit to the Court,” said the Judicial Council’s spokesperson Gordana Duvnjak.

Duvnjak said in 2022 and 2023 there have been 15 complaints from the citizens of Struga regarding the work of the Struga-based Court, and that the Judicial Council has initiated two procedures on judges from this court. However, she noted, none of them were related to the Mayor of Struga, Ramiz Merko.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacheski said the State Department’s decision to blacklist Mayor Ramiz Merko, proves that the country’s judiciary needs to be overhauled. In response to a reporter's question, Kovachevski criticized the country's investigative and judicial authorities for not being able to acquire any information on the mayor so far.

Photo: MIA Archive