Skopje, 4 December 2023 (MIA) - Vasko Stojkov, lawyer of Ljupcho Palevski-Palcho who is primary suspect for organizing the abduction and murders of Vanja Gjorchevska and Pancho Zhezhovski, told Telma TV on Monday that he had taken Palevski to Belgrade for a medical examination. Stojkov said he did not know that Palevski was responsible for the murders and wanted to help him go to the scheduled medical examination.

"He asked me to take him to Belgrade because he did not have a vehicle. I knew nothing about this matter. I know that he was supposed to go to Belgrade, he said that he had scheduled medical examinations. "If so", I said to him, "I'll take you [to Belgrade]", I didn't know about this. I returned to Skopje, and he stayed because he was supposed to have a medical examination the next day. He told me that if everything is well, he will come back. If it is not well, he said he would go to Istanbul. When I came back the police carried out searches, they asked me, and then I told them," Stojkov told Telma TV. 

According to his statement, after realizing what Palevski was suspected of, he had sent Palevski a message telling him to come back and give a statement, because it is a serious matter. In the statement, he does not reveal what reply he received, but says that he has reported everything to the police. Since then, he has had no contact with Palevski.

Stojkov said he had good intentions and wanted to help Palevski, adding that after he had found out what it was all about, he feels he was being played.

"I'm a lawyer, had I known anything I certainly wouldn't have taken him," said Stojkov. 

Ljupcho Palevski-Palcho is primary suspect for the murders of Vanja Gjorchevska and Panche Zhezhovski. He has fled the country, and authorities will issue an international arrest warrant against him.

"The planner and executor of the murder of 14-year-old Vanja Gjorchevska from Skopje and 74-year-old Panche Zhezhovski from Veles is Ljupcho Palevski-Palcho, who has fled the country," said Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski and public prosecutor Gavril Bubevski on Monday without specifying his name but answering questions that mentioned his name as the primary suspect in the murders. 

Minister Spasovski told a press conference that the suspect (Palevski) has fled the country accompanied by his lawyer, first to Belgrade and then to Bulgaria.

Palevski is a former building contractor and founder of political party Desna, which premises have been searched. All suspects were members of the party. 

Suspects also include Velibor Manev, Vlatko Keshishov and Bore Videvski, who are placed in 48-hour detention until further evidence is provided.