The newly appointed Chief Public Prosecutor Nenad Saveski, discussing the modernization of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO), says that detention will be one of the topics on which he will introduce changes. He was considered a judge who did not always accept the prosecutor’s requests to impose prison detentions.
When asked what his general attitude is towards determining detention, when and how long this measure should be determined, the state prosecutor emphasized that Macedonia is a poor country, and detention is an expensive measure.
“Prison detention is the most rigorous measure of the measures offered by the Criminal Procedure Law. However, it is also the most expensive and inhumane. One day in detention means the allocation of funds from the budget. As a poor country, we should take this into account. Let’s act according to our capabilities. If house arrest can satisfy the needs for securing a specific defendant in a procedure, why do we always start with the strictest measure, which I say is the most expensive and most inhumane? When I mention that this measure in itself is not humane, I also have in mind the conditions in which the detainees are served. Our penal institutions, the institutions where detention is served, according to reports from the international factor, are not at a satisfactory level. On the contrary, the conditions in which these measures are served are inhumane. This should be taken into account from a financial perspective, for the image of our country before the international factor from a humanitarian perspective,” said Saveski in an interview with the national broadcaster MRT.
Regarding how to prevent escapes, the chief public prosecutor said that they could be prevented very effectively with guarantees.
“Guarantees are a quite effective measure for ensuring presence. It is a measure that refers precisely to my views that I previously expressed. If someone flees and leaves a guarantee – that property, real estate or movable property, whatever it is, has a certain value. That value, if they flee, remains the property of our country. We have a financial situation that we need to take into account – those financial assets, that capital, upon sale become part of the budget and are available to all citizens, including judicial institutions,” said Prosecutor Saveski.
