Skopje, 8 January 2024 (MIA) — The government will discuss ways to resolve the situation in the national air navigation service provider M-NAV at its session scheduled for Jan. 9, including dismissing all company management, following the incident in which eight people, including Bekim Neziri, a former government minister, M-NAV executive advisor, and DUI branch president, broke into the air traffic control facility and attacked staff on Jan. 4.

According to the government in a Jan. 4 press release, the proposed solutions were reached at the initiative of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in consultation with Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska and Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski.

"At the same time, Prime Minister Kovachevski will call on the Public Prosecutor's Office, the State Anti-Corruption Commission, the State Audit Office, the Financial Police Office and international air traffic control bodies to conduct a complete audit of M-NAV's previous operations," the release said.

The Public Prosecutor's Office immediately launched an investigation into the suspects. "With their actions, they endangered international air traffic safety at a time when 28 flights were taking place under the control of M-NAV in the country's airspace," the PPO said. "They are suspected of having committed a crime punishable by at least five years in prison," it said.

Pointing out that the suspects posed a risk of fleeing the country, influencing the procedure, or repeating the crime, the PPO then requested from the Skopje's Criminal Court to issue a detention order against four suspects who were in custody while the search for the other four continued.

A judge at the Skopje Criminal Court, however, rejected the PPO's request and ordered precautionary measures instead. The precautionary measures require that the suspects appear in court when summoned, that their passports be seized, and that they be prohibited from leaving their place of residence and from communicating with the injured party or between themselves.

The attack happened after a press conference held by Trade Union of Air Traffic Controllers leader Aleksandar Tasevski earlier on Jan. 4.

Tasevski had said that twenty to thirty air traffic controllers and their assistants working for M-NAV would start resigning from their management positions in response to the company's latest job announcement results and to express their support for the union and disapproval of the management board.

Following the incident, the union leader said air traffic controllers would go on a general strike on Jan. 10 if M-NAV directors did not resign or if the government did not dismiss them as announced.

Describing it as an "unfortunate event" and a "conflict between two coworkers," M-NAV management board chair and executive director Fahrudin Hamidi told a press conference on Jan. 5 that a Security Committee had been convened to look into the attack, and that in the interest of the investigation, he was not going to comment on the incident further. He also said he did not plan on resigning as he had achieved many positive results in his executive post.

He also said that he absolutely guaranteed the safety of Macedonian skies during the conflict. "It was personal," he said. "There are arguments in every organization. The persons are M-NAV employees."

"There are cameras to determine what happened," Hamidi said.

At the press conference, he also alleged that the union leader Tasevski, in contesting the last job competition results and blaming the management board for unprofessional and unnecessary hiring, was acting from his personal motives and interests.

Civil Aviation Agency director general Tomislav Tuntev, when asked to comment on the consequences of the incident, said that air traffic safety had not been violated or threatened. According to Tuntev, air traffic controllers are experienced professionals and experts who are very well aware of their responsibilities and duty to maintain safe skies.

The incident at M-NAV has caused a public outcry. mr/