Skopje, 18 February 2025 (MIA) - The Government is set to discuss Tuesday the motion for dismissal of Chief Prosecutor Ljupcho Kocevski and then forward it to the Council of Public Prosecutors.

The Government said yesterday it would continue to undertake activities aimed at improving the judiciary, noting "the citizens' trust has been severely undermined and that is why we are committed to finally restore the rule of law in the country."

In accordance with the conclusion of the Government’s 50th session held on February 11, the Ministry of Justice took action and prepared an opinion regarding the proposed dismissal of the Chief Public Prosecutor, which was forwarded to the Government for further steps in accordance with the Law on Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Constitution.

Over the past period, we have witnessed numerous scandals, a disruption in the functionality of the Public Prosecutor’s Office deteriorated interpersonal relations, unlawful actions, corruption, inefficiency in criminal prosecution, and violations of the principles of organization within the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the independence of prosecutors in the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, read the MoJ press release.

It added that the Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of North Macedonia acted in cases where legal provisions indicated circumstances that would raise doubts about his impartiality and conflict of interest, circumstances he should have known about and should have excluded himself from.

The Government decided to initiate a procedure, citing its disappointment "from the actions outside its legal jurisdiction, while citizens are dissatisfaction with a non-functioning system, and the ongoing continuation of these conditions have resulted in a loss of trust and the malfunctioning of the state.”

Chief Prosecutor Kocevski denies the claim that the acted unlawfully, stating that he adhered to the law and its deadlines.

The Chief Prosecutor's term is six years, with Kocevski elected to the post in February 2024.

MIA file photo