Skopje urges Turkey extradition of suspected author of double murder

The Ministry of Justice in Northern Macedonia has called on Turkish authorities to keep the prime suspect in custody for the murder of 14-year-old girl in Skopje and a 74-year-old in the town of Veles until the procedures for his extradition are completed.

Justice Minister Krenar Lloga's office reports that he has signed the extradition request to be submitted to the Turkish Justice Ministry. Skopje expects Ankara to act quickly in response to the request.

Northern Macedonia and Turkey have a common extradition agreement. After the extradition is approved, a decision will be made for the time and approach of the suspect, Lupco Palevski.

Palevski was captured yesterday afternoon in the town of Balicesir, south of Istanbul. He had first fled to Serbia, saying he had to go for health reasons. His lawyer declared to the police he had no knowledge of his client's involvement in murder.

Later, the suspect, according to law-organ reports, has fled there via Bulgaria in Turkey's direction. Currently, five people are suspected of the murder or assistance in the assassination of Vanja Gjerchevska, including her father, Aleksandar Gjerchevski, who allegedly gave information to top indictee Palevski about his daughter's movements.

She was abducted on November 27th at the entrance to the building she lived in downtown Skopje. Authorities announced that the girl's hands and legs had been tied in a bag and in the trunk of the car to send her near the village of Brazda in northern Skopje. The investigative organs say that after about three hours of kidnapping, the 14-year-old was executed with a gun.

The car was owned by Pence Zezovski, a 74-year-old barber, also executed on November 24th by Lupco Palevski. The prosecution says the victim was killed for a 500-euro debt.

The autopsy procedures have been completed, but concrete data has not been disclosed to the public. The girl's father has denied involvement in her murder, while one of the detainees has accepted participation in this serious work. The detainees are scheduled for the 30-day detention measure.

According to police allegations, the motive of Vanja Gjerchevska's kidnapping and murder may be material gain, or the extortion of money from her mother who had recently sold an inherited apartment from her parents. My daughter's two parents were divorced.

This case has shaken the widespread public opinion in Northern Macedonia. Death sentences do not execute in the country, while experts expect courts to issue maximum sentences to authors of this heavy work. / VOA