Authorities in North Macedonia have filed criminal charges against eight people and a private company over alleged abuses in a public procurement deal at the country’s main coal-fired power complex, in a case that has drawn attention because one of the accused is the honorary consul of Belarus.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in the southern city of Bitola said the charges relate to a public tender worth around €1.7 million at REK Bitola, the largest electricity-producing site of the state-owned power company Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM). The complex plays a critical role in North Macedonia’s energy security, covering a significant share of domestic electricity demand.
Among the accused is businessman Borče Markovski, who has served as Belarus’s honorary consul in North Macedonia since 2016. Prosecutors allege that members of REK Bitola’s management, including the plant director, abused their official positions during the tender process in 2023.
The tender concerned the relocation of drive stations from the Oslomej coal mine in western North Macedonia to REK Bitola’s mines. However, prosecutors say the transport system foreseen in the contract did not comply with the main project design or technological processes.
According to the indictment, the minimum participation conditions in the tender were structured in a way that favored Markovski’s company, “Markovski Company,” which ultimately became the sole bidder.
Prosecutors claim that Markovski, two employees of his firm, and the company itself submitted false documentation stating that the contracted works had been completed. In reality, they allege, the equipment remained uninstalled inside the REK Bitola complex. Three REK Bitola managers are accused of signing off on records confirming the work, which prosecutors say enabled unlawful payments to be made.
The prosecution is now seeking the confiscation of around €1.7 million that was paid to the firm.
As part of the investigation — carried out with international legal assistance — authorities seized €1.2 million, 1,000 Swiss francs, three gold coins, and a gold bar from a bank vault in Belgrade allegedly belonging to Markovski. More than €500,000 in North Macedonian bank accounts was also frozen, along with ten freight and trailer vehicles registered to a Serbian-based company owned by him. Prosecutors say Markovski owns two companies in Serbia and that money was transferred to those entities.
The prosecution has asked the court to extend Markovski’s detention, arguing that his international business and diplomatic connections create a risk he could flee.
The case is being closely watched because of Markovski’s prominence in North Macedonia’s business community and his honorary consular status, as well as growing public concern over alleged corruption in state-owned enterprises.
An anti-corruption watchdog, the Center for Civil Communications, previously reported that “Markovski Company” was the largest single recipient of public contracts in North Macedonia from 2019 to 2023. The company won 77 tenders during that period, including 66 with ESM, worth a combined €141 million.
Honorary consuls typically serve as unpaid representatives promoting economic and cultural ties, rather than career diplomats. There has been no public comment yet from Belarusian authorities or from Markovski on the charges.
The case comes at a time when North Macedonia — an EU candidate country — faces ongoing scrutiny over efforts to strengthen the rule of law and tighten public-procurement oversight.