Audio Leak: Thugs working for Zaev set a car on fire owned by DPNE activist

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A not so shocking new audio leak reveals a conversation between people close to Zoran Zaev’s brother Vice Zaev. In the conversation, which has all the hallmarks of a mafia group plotting its next moves, they plan to set fire to a car owned by a VMRO-DPMNE activist in Bitola who was outspoken about their corrupt business plans.

One of the individuals featured in the conversation is allegedly Stojce Chifligaroski, owner of the SV Invest company, which has won a number of lucrative contracts from the large state owned REK Bitola coal-plant after Zaev’s SDSM party grabbed power in 2017. VMRO-DPMNE has frequently accused the company of being a front for Vice Zaev’s businesses and that the profits from the contracts actually end up in the Zaev family coffers. The other person in the conversation that was leaked by the Infomax news site, is Goran Dimovski – Tusnik from Bitola.

In the conversation, Dimovski tells Cifligaroski that he will meet with Vice Zaev and that he received the green light from an in-law of the Zaev family, also involved in their businesses, to torch the car of the opposition activist.

There are five, six people here, they’re making a mess. They’re beginning to threaten us. I have my team. I will take care of them. Chaki will have his car set on fire one of these days. He overdid it. He’s a VMRO kid here, he’s their main person. I will put him down. Not just him, I’ll take care of all of them. Rasho gave the green light, Dimovski tells Cifligaroski, who nods and agrees during the conversation.

The identity of Chaki, who is mentioned in the conversation, is not revealed by Infomax, but he’s likely one of the many people in Bitola who revealed details about how SV Invest began taking over the sub-contracts given by REK Bitola, after SDSM officials took over the plant. Rasho, who is mentioned as giving the green light to burn the activist’s car, is identified as Radisa Bojovic, an in-law of the Zaev family, who runs a number of family businesses.

Dimovski goes on to detail business deals in Strumica, Zoran Zaev’s main base of operations, and says that his cousin Trajce Zaev “decides who gets to do business in that town”. He tells Cifligaroski how he worked with some businessman who was hoping to get a licence to open a cannabis plantation, a business wholly controlled by the Zaev family.

It was good business, he would give 50.000 EUR for our club a month, he said he will pay us what we want. All this was while he was waiting for the cannabis licence. But he got into an argument with Trajce Zaev. And we were blocked out, it was all for nothing. And then he left, Dimovski adds.

In another portion of the conversation, Dimovski tells Cifligaroski that the Zaev family is so powerful in Strumica, they have complete control over the judiciary. He says that he took a gold watch worth between 30 and 40 thousand euros from a Turkish person who was facing charges. “They had him booked, but we got him out. He gave us one of those 30.000 EUR watches”. Dimovski says.