Skopje, 16 December 2025 (MIA) - Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski resigned Tuesday, telling journalists he has performed his role as chief prosecutor honorably and with dignity, and that he is resigning because of what he described as “the obvious disregard for the principles on which the rule of law rests”.

Kocevski announced his resignation at a press conference shortly before Parliament was scheduled to discuss a government proposal for his dismissal. He said it was evident that the session of Parliament was only a formality, since he wasn’t given a reasonable deadline to prepare his response.

“This is the case because it is clear that this is a proposal based neither on law nor on facts, but represents a dangerous precedent with far-reaching consequences for the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” Kocevski said.

Kocevski said, based on his information, the proposal for his dismissal consists of only three lines, none of which have appropriate clarification or are backed by arguments.

“The chief prosecutor can only be dismissed if it is determined that he has committed a grave disciplinary offense. This is the case not in order to protect Ljupcho Kocevski or any other person in this role, but in order to protect the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the principle of separation of powers, principles that have been seriously violated today,” Kocevski said.

Kocevski said that despite the “complex conditions” in which the Public Prosecutor’s Office is operating, data from annual reports speaks about the efficient work done by the office.

“A large number of cases of high public interest have been processed, involving suspects connected to various political and business centers of power. This demonstrates the non‑selective and objective approach in the work of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. We have final convictions for bribery and influence over the judiciary, an active indictment against the former president of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, filed charges against organized groups from the drug underworld, open investigations into tax fraud, misuse of IPA funds, and many other cases in which negligent work has caused damage to the state – certainly more than twenty, perhaps thirty such cases. Finally, in a record time of two and a half months, we completed the investigation into the fire at the ‘Pulse’ nightclub, and procedures and checks are underway for other cases that arose from that process,” Kocevski said, stressing that all of this was done non‑selectively and without compromise under difficult conditions of political accusations.

Kocevski reiterated his belief that the Public Prosecutor’s Office possesses the institutional capacity to work objectively, noting that “institutions are greater than individuals, and justice must be greater than politics”. 

At a session of Parliament on Tuesday, MPs were scheduled to discuss a government proposal to dismiss Kocevski from his role. According to the proposal, the government sought Kocevski's dismissal "due to gross professional errors in the management of the Public Prosecutor's Office, which lead to the disruption of its efficiency and functionality; unauthorized disclosure of information and data on court cases, thus violating the obligation of secrecy of proceedings; damaging the PPO's and his own reputation by not proceeding in line with provisions from the Constitution, laws and international ratified treaties."

Photo/Video: MIA