Skopje, 25 November 2024 (MIA) -- The Financial Police Office has filed a criminal complaint to the Tetovo Primary Prosecutor's Office against a former minister of culture over suspicions of committing the crime of abuse of office under Article 353 of the Criminal Code. According to media reports, the initials H. I. in the Financial Police Office press release stand for ex-culture minister Husni Ismaili, who held the post from June 2009 to August 2020.

The Financial Police Office said in its release that H. I., in his official post as Minister of Culture, had abused his office and authority between June 27, 2019, and August 30, 2020 by signing, on July 24, 2020, agreements with legal and natural persons to finance projects in the total amount of Mden 31,824,000 despite being aware that this funding was unavailable.

According to the release, the former minister was aware of the revised national budget, published in the Official Gazette No. 126 of May 5, 2020, and he signed the agreements anyway. This, the Financial Police Office said, had caused a Mden 31,824,000 hole the Ministry of Culture's budget. mr/