The Macedonian MUP has filed criminal charges against 19 people, including the head of the Ohrid Archbishopric of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Jovan Vraniškovski, and against the "Anastasija" citizens' association on suspicion of money laundering, Macedonian MUP spokesman Ivo Kotevski announced today.
He said that during yesterday's police operation "Raskoljnikov" two buildings were searched near Markova sušica, in the vicinity of Skopje, and in the village of Nižepole, in the vicinity of Bitola, and that on that occasion a computer, documentation and 19.000 euros were seized.
Everything is connected, as the police say, with the self-proclaimed Ohrid Archbishopric.
The Macedonian MUP states that Vraniškovski, with the aim of legalizing the 250.000 euros that he illegally obtained from 1988 to 2002 by evasion to the detriment of the MPC in agreement with 18 other persons, from 2007 to 2011 put money into circulation in the form of a large number smaller individual transactions
On Monday, the Macedonian police detained a dozen people close to Vranishkovski, the head of the Ohrid archbishopric, which is not officially recognized in Macedonia, and then Vranishkovski and another praetor of his associates were detained.
The MUP filed a complaint against the Association for the Advancement of Civil and Religious Freedom "Anastasija" from Nižepola, a non-governmental organization formed by Vraniškovski's followers, because he and his associates allegedly wanted to buy property with the funds they acquired illegally through that association. in Macedonia, at two locations in Skopje and one in Štip.
Vraniškovski has already been sentenced to 2,5 years in prison for misusing 250.000 euros of church money while he was bishop of the canonically unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church.
Tried to legalize 250 euros
As Kotevski stated, ten of the 19 people were detained yesterday, and after questioning by the investigating judge, their travel documents were confiscated, while the court will decide whether a warrant will be issued for the others.
The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church announced that the new escalation of persecution of the clergy of the Ohrid Archdiocese in Macedonia is disturbing and appealed to the domestic and international public to prevent it.
The Macedonian MUP states that Vraniškovski, with the aim of legalizing the 250.000 euros that he illegally obtained from 1988 to 2002 by evasion to the detriment of the MPC in agreement with 18 other persons, from 2007 to 2011 put money into circulation in the form of a large number smaller individual transactions.
It is indicative that on that day, after the opening of the transaction account, payments were made by 16 people in just one day, all for the same amount of around 5.000 euros."
They made the payment to the transaction account of the "Anastasia" Association based in Nižepolje, as well as by directly purchasing property in the name of two of the registered persons, who are relatives of Vraniškovski.
"We suspect that it is money laundering, an attempt to legalize the money that was obtained through criminal means in the period from 1998 to 2002. by 16 people, all for the same amount of around 5.000 euros," Kotevski said.
They bought space for the construction of a church
Kotevski said that it was planned to use that money to buy business premises in Skopje, for which a prerequisite for the purchase was signed, and also that Vraniškovski, through his cousin, wanted to buy land in the vicinity of Skopje, which would be, according to the police, for the construction of the church of the Orthodox Ohrid Archdiocese.
The purchase of land in the vicinity of Štip is also planned for the same purpose.
"They wanted to cover up the movement of criminally acquired money and present it in front of state authorities as legal sources and donations by using the "Anastasia" association and buying real estate," said Kotevski.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
