Skopje, 29 October 2025 (MIA) – The director of the public enterprise “Communal Hygiene” - Skopje, Sabahadin Rustemi, has resigned from his post due to moral reasons. 

This was announced by his attorney Asmir Alispahic in a statement to the media after the Criminal Court imposed a 30-day pre-trial detention on Rustemi and Communal Hygiene's waste manager Aki Saiti, due to the risk of witness tampering and the likelihood of the crime being repeated.  

Alispahic said Rustemi was not resigning because he feels responsible for the waste situation in Skopje, but rather so as not to influence the investigation.

"His resignation comes after consultation and coordination with us as defence attorneys. It is an act that will allow the investigation to proceed smoothly, with the aim of proving that he has no connection whatsoever, and in the sense that he cannot influence, has not influenced, and will not hinder the investigation in any way," the attorney Alispahic said on Tuesday. 

Alispahic also noted that the defence has a large amount of evidence that will prove that Rustemi has taken action to secure the necessary waste collection machinery, request greater resources, including staff, but this had not been approved by the board of directors.

Director Rustemi was appointed to the post by Skopje Mayor Danela Arsovska early this year. 

The Skopje-based Criminal Court approved the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) and imposed a 30-day pre-trial detention on the two Communal Hygiene managers, on grounds of reasonable suspicion of committing the criminal offence of “Endangering the Environment and Nature with Waste” as per Article 230, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

According to the PPO, the suspects violated the Law on Waste Management and did not perform their duty to regularly collect and transport Skopje's municipal waste and keep the city clean.

Special inspection controls and the expert assessment from the Institute of Public Health have confirmed that such waste handling led to contamination of the soil, air, and water, with a potential threat to public health.

Photo: MIA archive