Skopje, 18 February 2026 (MIA) – Vladimir Panchevski, a candidate for state public prosecutor, who did not receive a positive opinion on Tuesday from the Council of Public Prosecutors, said he is requesting the Public Prosecutor’s Office to act, ex officio, on his public criminal complaint against the Council’s president, deputy president and members, claiming they abused their official position during the review of his candidacy.

In a Facebook post, Vladimir Panchevski reacted to the decision of the Council of Public Prosecutors, which yesterday did not issue a positive opinion on his candidacy, thereby excluding him from the further selection process for the post of the state public prosecutor.

According to the Council’s explanation, Panchevski did not meet the requirement of at least ten years of uninterrupted experience in the field of criminal law.

Vladimir Panchevski claims that the members of the Council of Public Prosecutors abused their official position and exceeded their legal powers in violation of Article 62, paragraph 1, item 1 of the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office. He called on the Government to annul the procedure, stressing that the Council has no authority to provide authentic interpretation of laws, but only to implement them.

The Council of Public Prosecutors decided Tuesday that Vladimir Panchevski failed to meet the requirement of at least 10 years of prouninterrupted experience as public prosecutor or judge in the field of criminal law.

Later, Panchevski released a document from the Criminal Court Skopje stating that he served as a judge from February 8, 2008, to July 28, 2020. According to the certificate, he has 12 years, 5 months and 20 days of service, which, he claims, directly refutes the Council’s findings.

The Council interprets the requirement as needing continuous active service until the date of application, whereas Panchevski maintains that the law only stipulates the total length of service.

In his Facebook post, Panchevski stated that he has filed a criminal complaint for abuse of office against Bashkim Besimi, President of the Council of Public Prosecutors, Marjana Ilieska, Deputy President, and members Jelena Dogazanska-Koleva, Zorica Pavlovikj, Ermon Neziri, Keti Petkova, Svetlana Stojkovikj, Dushica Dimitrieska, Ardijan Demiri and Fatih Aliu.

The complaint states that during the session held on 17 February 2026, they acted contrary to the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office and deprived him of his legal right to participate in the further selection process.

Panchevski also pointed out a possible conflict of interest involving Deputy President Marjana Ilieska, noting that she is the spouse of a person who was convicted for organized crime in a case over which he presided as a judge in 2010. He maintains that she should have abstained from voting.

In his Facebook post, Panchevski described the criminal complaint as a “reflection of the rotten judicial-prosecutorial system” and called on the Government, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ministry of Interior to take action and resolve the matter.

Photo: MIA archive