Trial for Vanja and Pance murder continues on April 28

The trial of the murder of Vanja and Pance continues on April 28 after defendant Ljupco Palevski testified today at the Skopje Basic Criminal Court. The next hearing should resume cross -laws from the prosecution and the defense of the other defendants.

In his statement Palevski again disputed the allegations against him, claiming that the prosecution’s evidence is incomplete and manipulative.
Palevski denied guilt that he participated in the kidnapping and murder of Vanja and Pance. He claims that on the day of Vanja’s murder he was in the bank to pay bills, after which he went to the market of the Buy a boiler heater, and returned to the headquarters of the political party « Right » where he had meetings with party members. Palevski also claims that he did not drive Zezhovski’s citrusion, nor was he ever in his house.

« I have no motive to do this crime, I have not even had and I have not committed this crime for which you read a quote on charges and you ask me, » Palevski said.

According to him, the evidence in the investigation against him is counterfeits. In his defense, Palevski pointed out others, according to him, inconsistencies in the investigation, especially about the video footage presented by the prosecution.

Lawyer Jovica Strashevski, his defender, also in a statement to the media, noted that there are significant differences between the evidence and the prosecution’s statements.

« The events performed by the BPPO and their questions asked the defendants show big differences in the statements and materials presented, » Strasevski said, stressing that today’s testimony of Palevski is crucial to determine these mismatches.

Palevski is the last witness to testify, after previously, besides the prosecution’s witnesses, the father Aleksandar Gjorcevski, as well as the other defendants, was heard. Defendant Velibor Manev explained the abduction and killings of Vanja and Pance, pointing out that the main organizer was Ljupco Palevski. Bore Videvski denied his participation in the events, while Vlatko Kesishev pointed out that he did not testify to them, because he was often given the task of guarding a guard.

The indictment states that Ljupco Palevski, Bore Videvski, Velibor Manev, Vlatko Kesishov and Aleksandar Gjorcevski, together planned the abduction of 14-year-old Vanja in order to force a member of her immediate family to give money for ransom. The abduction of the damaged Pance Zezhovski in Veles, on the indictment, was intended to force him to give their own « Citroen » vehicle to use the child to abduct the child in Skopje.

Juvenile Vanja and Pance resident were reported missing on November 27 and 24, and on December 3, 2023, dead were found near Skopje and Veles.