Skopje, 21 October 2025 (MIA) - Serbian authorities have accepted a request by the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bitola to freeze the assets – specifically 10 new cargo and trailer vehicles purchased in 2025 – of a legal entity based in Belgrade which was found to have ownership ties to a person suspected of abuses at REK Bitola, who is the target of an investigation launched on October 9.

The Serbian authorities also accepted a request to secure and open a safe that the suspect owns in a Serbian bank, in order to inspect its contents.

In addition to this, Mden 30 million have been frozen from the bank accounts of the suspect and his company in North Macedonia. The Prosecutor’s Office also ordered the freezing of additional property in the country – three apartments in Skopje, a parcel of undeveloped construction land, and a garage acquired in 2024, as well as three cargo and one passenger vehicle purchased in 2025 – which are suspected to be proceeds from a criminal offense, i.e., assets that may be subject to future seizure due to criminal acts currently being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office.

On October 9, the Bitola-based Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against eight individuals and one legal entity for prolonged criminal offenses related to public procurement at the mining and energy combine REK Bitola, including Borche Markovski, owner of Markovski Company.

Five officials at REK Bitola, including the then-director of the combine and four managers and directors in its mining division, are suspected of jointly committing the prolonged criminal offense of “misuse of official position and authorization” during 2023 by failing to fulfill their official duties with the intent to benefit another party, thereby causing damage to the plant through a public procurement involving the Oslomej mine.

The legal entity, its owner/manager, and another employee of the company “Markovski Company” are suspected of knowingly submitting invoices for work that was not performed, through which they unlawfully charged REK Bitola Mden 106.200.000 (EUR 1.7 million) including VAT, thereby committing the prolonged criminal offense of “abuse of an open call procedure, awarding of public procurement contract or public-private partnership”.

Photo: MIA