It's been twelve years since the "Monster" case

On this day (April 12), 12 years ago, in the vicinity of Smilkova lake, the case known as "Monster" occurred, in which five people were killed, Filip Slavkovski, Aleksandar Načevski, Cvetanço Ackovski, Kire Tërpkovski, as well as the fisherman Borce Stevkovski.

Alil Demiri, Afrim Ismailović and Agim Ismailović were sentenced to life imprisonment for this case. The accused Fejzi Aziri received 15 years in prison, while Haki Aziri received 9 years. In the absence of evidence, the accused Sami Luta was acquitted of the charges.

The trial for the "Monstra" case began on December 20, 2012. In June 2014, six defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment. On November 24, 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and returned the process to a retrial and the convicts were released from custody.

The reopening of the case followed the publication of intercepted materials, the so-called "bombshells" in 2015. The case was then taken over by the Special Public Prosecutor's Office (PSP) and the retrial began from the beginning in May 2018. Meanwhile, the PSP was abolished, but the same prosecutors continued to handle the case.

After the sentencing, the five convicts in the "Monstra" case filed an appeal, but the Court of Appeal in September 2022 rejected them as unfounded and confirmed the decisions of the first instance.

The protests were organized by the family members of the convicts, while politicians and political subjects warned of an international investigation into the case.

The convicts Alil Demiri and Afrim Ismailović are on the run in Kosovo, an arrest warrant has been issued against them, but they have not been extradited to North Macedonia./Telegrafi/