The Bitola Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) has issued an order to conduct an investigative procedure against a 31-year-old resident of Bitola, suspected of the crime of production and distribution of child pornography. The case is part of an international investigation into online child abuse, which resulted from an action led by the Australian Federal Police.
The suspect, who was employed in an educational institution during the critical period, purchased and possessed materials with child pornography on home computer devices from April 2024 to April 1, 2026.
The procedure is the result of pre-investigation activities conducted in coordination between the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Bitola PD and the Computer Crime and Digital Forensics Sector at the Ministry of Interior (MoI). The action resulted from a notification received from the Australian Federal Police, which conducted an international operation aimed at detecting websites that were used for the illegal distribution of this type of content.
As part of the police action, the Australian services identified users who accessed the disputed websites through specific IP addresses, including addresses related to the Republic of Macedonia. An official notification was sent to the Macedonian authorities regarding the information received.
The PPO announced that raids are continuing in Skopje and other cities, in order to fully clarify all identified cases related to this international investigation.
A proposal for the determination of a detention measure for the suspect from Bitola has been forwarded to the Bitola Basic Court.
