A Skopje court on Friday ordered 30-day detention for Ilija Stoilev, director of the Agency for Financial Support in Agriculture and Rural Development, along with three other suspects accused of involvement in a bribery scheme linked to EU IPARD funds, court officials said.
A fifth suspect, identified as J.K. (35), was placed under house arrest after the court accepted an amended request from the prosecutor.
The decision followed a Thursday operation led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption (OJO-GOKK), during which five people were detained in several locations across North Macedonia on suspicion of giving and receiving bribes.
Allegations of systemic influence over EU agricultural funds
According to prosecutors, the prime suspect, J.N. (77) — a former MP and minister — allegedly offered a €50,000 bribe to Stoilev over the past several months in exchange for signing a funding agreement with a company that did not meet the official requirements under the IPARD program.
“Although the company failed to meet eligibility criteria, the director of the Agency, after receiving the promise of a gift, signed the funding contract and took part of the payment — €400 — which was later found and seized during a police search,” prosecutors said.
The three other suspects, including a tax official from the Public Revenue Office and a civil servant from the Ministry of Agriculture, are accused of acting as intermediaries and using their official influence to pressure the director into taking unlawful action.
Detention ordered due to flight risk and risk of obstruction
The investigative judge accepted the prosecutor’s request for detention, citing risk of flight, witness tampering, and repeat offenses. The defense may appeal the decision before the Criminal Council of the Basic Court.
The Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation will determine whether this case was an isolated act or part of a broader network of corruption involving misuse of EU agricultural funds.
IPARD under scrutiny
The EU-funded IPARD program supports rural development and modernization of agriculture in North Macedonia. In recent years, several investigations have uncovered irregularities in the allocation of IPARD funds and raised concerns over political influence in the grant approval process.
The arrest of Stoilev — once considered a trusted figure within the agricultural administration — has reignited public debate over institutional oversight of public funds and the integrity of the country’s rural development agencies.
Prosecutors have indicated the probe may expand to include private companies that participated in the application and signing of the disputed contracts.