Skopje, 11 September 2026 (MIA) - The Supreme Court revoking the Appellate Court ruling in the Laskarci case is a disappointment and a consequence of “remnants” from the former government that are still being active in the judicial system, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Friday.

Asked for a comment on the Supreme Court decision in the Laskarci bus crash case, Mickoski said that “remnants, residue” from the former government of SDSM and DUI is involved serving as the “last resource to protect the people that were part of that government.”

“We had dozen victims, many people with permanent disability, which isn’t enough for the few judges and prosecutors to stand on the side of justice. They remain being loyal servants to those who had appointed them. It is yet another disappointment,” stated Mickoski after visiting the renovated premises of the Neurophysiology Clinic in Skopje.

Only a few judges, he said, contaminate all other honourable judges and prosecutors. “It’s a good thing because the colleagues from the European Union can see who we are dealing with in the judiciary and what kind of challenge we are being faced with,” Mickoski noted. 

“Sometimes I feel as if we’re fighting windmills,” the prime minister said referencing Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes' famous novel.

But, Mickoski said, we’re not giving up, justice must prevail.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court said it had revoked the Appellate Court ruling in the Laskarci case by which the sentences of some defendants were increased. The case is now set for a retrial.

Back in May 2025, the Appellate Court rejected the appeals of several defendants in the Laskarci case, relating to a bus crash in 2019, in which 16 people were killed and more than 30 injured, while partially accepting the appeal from the Public Prosecutor's Office and increasing the prison sentences of four defendants.

Photo: MIA