The former Karposh Municipality Mayor Stevcho Jakimovski has been sentenced to one year in prison for the construction of the municipal building, the Skopje Appellate Court ruled on Tuesday.
As announced by the Skopje Basic Criminal Court, the Appellate Court, acting on the appeals of the defendants and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO), issued a verdict confirming the sentence for the illegal construction. The period spent under house arrest, from March 19 to August 15, 2019, will also be counted towards the sentence imposed. This means that Jakimovski will have to serve seven months in prison.
Regarding the charge of “Abuse of Official Position and Authority”, Jakimovski’s appeal was upheld and the case in that part was sent back for a retrial. According to the Court, given that the crime refers to the period from 2011 to 2017, and the envisaged sentence is from three to five years in prison, there is a possibility that the statute of limitations will expire in 2027.
The Appellate Court also revoked the suspended sentence for the defendant T.G., and the case in this part has also been returned for retrial.
The Criminal Court informs that the case will be assigned to a new judge, because the judge who acted so far is no longer part of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption. The confirmed part of the verdict will be submitted to a judge for the execution of sanctions.
