The prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption, Iskra Hadji Vasileva, started the evidentiary procedure in court today, and as evidence she presented the claim of the father of Judge Gjoko Hristov, who said during the search that that part of the house was used by his son.
The money in the wall probably belongs to the son of Djoko, the judge, the father of the suspended judge claimed. Gjoko Ristovwho is on trial on charges of concealing his assets and money laundering, and the most striking moment of the investigation against him was the 350 thousand euros that were found in the kitchen wall in the family home of his parents in Negotino.
The prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption, Iskra Hadji Vasileva today he started the evidentiary procedure before the court, and as evidence he also presented the claim of his father who said during the search that that part of the house was used by his son, Djoko.
This was said when the video of the search in the family house was presented, which shows how the tiles are broken and the money is found packed in 13 packages with a total of 610 banknotes in denominations of 200 and 500 euros.
The prosecutor also presented to the court data from the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) on the property situation of Ristov and his wife. Simona Zoric-Ristovaemployed at the State Attorney’s Office. Property documents from 2008 and 2021 were attached, showing real estate, vehicles, shares and loans, as well as data on family and business connections.
Special attention in the procedure was devoted to a loan for an apartment in Ohrid, taken through “Ohridska banka” and connected to the company “Alma Komerc” on Ljupcho Petsov – The Devilfor whom Ristov previously decided in court proceedings. The apartment was later transferred to the wife’s father, which, according to the indictment, involved complex financial and power of attorney arrangements between the people involved.
Evidence was also presented in the courtroom about the salaries of the accused and his wife, as well as their participation in administrative and legal structures. The prosecutor’s office pointed out that there are indications of a conflict of interest and influence on court decisions.
As additional evidence, court decisions from 2017 and 2021 related to Ljupco Petsov were presented, in which Ristov ruled in his favor, as well as videos of meetings between Ristov and the former state attorney. Fehmi Stafa, including in the premises of the Court of Appeal. Staffa previously pleaded guilty in a related case to accepting bribes.
The defense requested the presence of the expert who prepared the findings on the biological traces and evidentiary material, after which the court continued the proceedings. The accused Gjoko Ristov told the court that he does not feel guilty of the charges against him. Ristov “fell” when the Devil’s sister reported him for asking her for money to get her brother out of custody, through attorney Fehmi Staffa.
Staffa ended up in prison, and the Devil is free.
