Macedonia’s opposition leader Zoran Zaev is accusing the country’s security and intelligence chief Sasho Mijalkov of accepting bribes from Israel to allow the purchase of surveillance equipment in 2011. He also accused the top spy of turning the new equipment on his own people.
At a press conference in the capital Skopje Wednesday, Zaev, leader of Social Democratic Union for Macedonia, said Mijalkov was paid a sum of money with “many zeroes” to get the Ministry of Interior Affairs to buy wiretapping devices worth $15 million from Israel.
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Zaev produced a phone recording allegedly of Mijalkov discussing the bribe with an Israeli official, who was a frequent visitor to Macedonia.
The Netpres news agency reported that “Mijalkov denied the accusations, saying a ‘donation’ of $5.9 million was received for purchasing equipment for special police units.”
Zaev says Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski ordered the recordings, which were later turned over to the opposition. Gruevski denies the charge.
On Jan. 31 Police charged Zaev and four other people for conspiring with an unnamed foreign intelligence service to bring down the government.
