The court finds that the reports of the defense and prosecution experts regarding the mental state of the accused Rade Trajkovski Shtekli are not contradictory and rejected the defense's claims that he is not capable of attending the trial in the main session in the drug trafficking case.
The President of the Judicial Council, Judge Ilija Trpkov, informed today before the start of the session that the defense's objection that the defendant is unable to attend the trial in the main session is being rejected. According to the Court, the defendant Rade Trajkovski Shtekli was examined by psychiatrist Olivera Subotin Popovska, who gave a clear opinion that the defendant is capable of attending the trial and pleading guilty, while the defense expert's opinion was from a doctor who has been Trajkovski's personal physician for many years and there is a basis for prejudice.
"Only in exceptional cases is a super expertise ordered, but in this case the Court was convinced by expert witness Olivera regarding the ability of the accused Rade Trajkovski to attend the trial," declared Judge Terpkov.
The Council, as emphasized, evaluated the submissions of the two expert persons and the expertise which, according to the Court, are not contradictory.
Earlier, at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje, expert examinations were conducted regarding the mental state of the accused Rade Trajkovski Shtekli.
In the previous hearing of the "Shtekli" case, expert Olivera Popovska, employed at the Skopje Psychiatric Hospital, testified before the court. She was questioned by lawyer Saško Dukovski, lawyer for the accused Rade Shtekli, through indirect questions.
The indictment, filed by the Prosecution for the Prosecution of Organized Crime, includes a total of 10 people, following an almost year-long investigation in which special investigative measures were applied. Initially, 16 people were included, seven of whom have already entered into plea agreements and received prison sentences of 3 to 3,5 years.
Four defendants – Danco Masev, Dimitar Trajkov, Vladimir Veselinovski and Branislav Zajkov – also entered guilty pleas, after which the Court decided to separate the criminal proceedings.
According to the Prosecution, the group was well-organized, with clearly defined roles – from security to the sale of cocaine and marijuana. The drugs were stored in rented apartments and sold at prices ranging from 4,500 to 6,000 denars per gram of cocaine and 200 to 300 denars per gram of marijuana. Communication took place through the Snapchat application, while the main evidence was obtained through the “Cellebrite” mobile phone analysis system, a donation from the USA.
