Skopje, 29 December 2023 (MIA) - The Belikesir Prosecutor's Office has issued a 40-day prison order for Ljupcho Palevski, the prime suspect in the recent murders of Vanja Gjorchevska and Panche Zhezhovski.

The prosecutor's office says the prison term has been ordered in order to ensure the person's extradition to North Macedonia, in line with the European Convention on Extradition.

The Justice Ministry recently said that Palevski's extradition would take several months. He was arrested in Turkey on December 6 upon an international arrest warrant.

Gjorchevska, 14, was found dead near Skopje on December 3 after she was reported missing on November 27, and Zhezhovski, 74, was found dead near Veles on December 3 after he was reported missing on November 24.

Palevski, founder of political party Desna, has been charged with abduction and murder, party members Velibor Manev, Vlatko Keshishov and Bore Videvski have been charged with abduction and accessory to murder, whereas Vanja's father Aleksandar Gjorchevski, who is suspected of sharing information with them over his daughter's morning routine, has been charged with accessory to abduction. In addition, Stefan Dimkovski, the person who drove Palevski from Serbia to Turkey, is also a suspect in the case.

Photo: MIA archive