“All the prosecutor needs to do is look into the subcontractors of the railroad project to Bulgaria”

Regarding the alleged bribery attempt involving companies who are competent to build the railroad to Bulgaria, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski urged state prosecutors to conduct an investigation. “This is a chance for the state prosecutor, who was selected by the previous majority in Parliament, to prove himself,” Mickoski said. He added that the Interior Ministry is conducting its own investigation.

As Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski did before, Prime Minister Mickoski said that one look at the subcontractors who were bidding for the section will be enough for the state prosecutor to build a case.

At stake is the third section of the railway from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka and the border with Bulgaria, which the Government says will not go ahead as planned right now. The cost for a kilometer of track would reach high 24 million EUR, dozens of houses in Kriva Palanka would have to be demolished and the track would end in a dead-end tunnel on the mountainous border, with no plans to link up from the Bulgarian side. Additionally, if finished, it would only ensure movement of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour.