Skopje, 25 April 2025 (MIA) – The Skopje Criminal Court has ordered detention, house arrest and precautionary measures for 23 people as part of an investigation into misuse of the right to carer's allowance and the right to disability pension, the Court said Friday.

30 days of detention is ordered for nine people, five people will be put under house arrest and precautionary measures will be effective for nine people.

Police in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office earlier this week carried out searches at several locations in Skopje, Veles, Tetovo and Gostivar, detaining 23 people, while one person is currently not available to law enforcement. 

During the searches, the police seized EUR 110,000, Mden 65,000 and USD 100, several mobile phones, notebooks with debtors' data, as well as various medical documentation and several facsimile stamps, the Ministry of Interior said in a press release yesterday.  

The Ministry of Interior has filed criminal charges with the Prosecutor's Office against 49 people, including doctors and commission members, among others.  

According to the Ministry of Interior, evidence has been provided of criminal/corrupt activities by two organized criminal groups, both formed during 2023, whereby members of the organized criminal groups have violated the Law on Social Protection, the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance, the Law on Health Protection, as well as other laws and by-laws regulating the procedures to acquire the right to carer's allowance and the right to disability pension. 

Thus, members of the two criminal groups have been committing the crimes of "abuse of office and authority", "assistance" in connection with "abuse of office and authority", "accepting a bribe", "giving a bribe", "accepting a reward for unlawful influence", "giving a reward for unlawful influence", by which they illegally obtained material benefit for themselves and other persons and enabled unfounded acquisition of the right to carer's allowance and the right to disability pension, causing damage to the budget and funds of the state.

The two organized criminal groups have acted with the aim of illegally enabling the acquisition of the right to carer's allowance and the right to disability pension, through providing falsified medical documentation, the Ministry of Interior noted. ba/nn/

MIA file photo