site.btaNorth Macedonia’s SDSM Invites EU Chief Prosecutor Kovesi to Review IPARD Corruption Case

North Macedonia’s SDSM opposition party has invited European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi to visit the country and personally examine what it describes as a major corruption scandal within the Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development, the party said at a press conference on Friday.

Payments under the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development (IPARD) were suspended in North Macedonia in November 2025. The suspension followed the November 7 arrest of the agency’s director, Ilija Stoilev, who was detained on bribery charges. Four other individuals were also arrested, including the owner of the company that allegedly received programme funds despite not meeting eligibility criteria.

SDSM leader Venko Filipce said his party could not trust state institutions under a government that, in his view, protects criminal interests over the law and the public good. He argued that the authorities were attempting to distract the public from the scandal, particularly the IPARD case, instead of assuming responsibility after the arrest of the agency’s director, who is a member of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE. According to Filipce, the government’s response had consisted of deflecting attention and shifting blame onto the opposition.

He further said that the available facts indicated what he described as the largest misappropriation of EU funds in North Macedonia, allegedly involving individuals from VMRO-DPMNE close to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. Filipce added that he intended to seek cooperation from Italy’s anti-corruption bodies, arguing that their long-standing experience in combating some of Europe’s most organized criminal networks could be valuable in addressing the case.