Skopje, 1 December 2023 (MIA) - Former government secretary general Muhamed Zeqiri received a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for abuse of office, including time spent in detention and under house arrest.

According to the verdict announced Friday by Judge Fanka Janchulovska Mihailovski, the suspect committed two time-related actions with the intention of securing gains for another entity.

Zaqiri was charged with abuse of office in concluding a consultancy contract without a public procurement procedure in period April 2021-January 2022. As a result, the suspect secured criminal proceeds of almost EUR 1 million, which exceeded the contractual amount for consultancy services of EUR 795,000, meaning they obtained criminal proceeds in the amount of EUR 147,000. ssh/ik/