Aggeler: On American blacklist, more than a Macedonian citizen

Fighting corruption remains the focus of American politics on North Macedonia. The unprecedented visit to Skopje on Friday is seen in this context and the global co-ordinator for fighting corruption near the American State Department, Richard Nephew, who at the meeting with Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, was central to the fight against corruption, according to the Presidency's announcement.

“The fight against crime and corruption at every level, including high corruption, is extremely important in efforts to build rule of law and gain citizens' trust in institutions”, the Macedonian Presidency Community says, without providing further details regarding this meeting.

US Ambassador to Skopje Angela Aggeler said the purpose of the UN senior official's visit is not the long-standing black “list, the currently spoken of.

“He's not here to find names for the black list or something. It is here to discuss the processes, sanctions, protocols the American Government has on the matter of corruption”, said Aggeler.

But she acknowledged that investigations are under way on this issue and that there will be people on the blacklist because of their involvement in corruption.

There are several lists under which different persons are investigated in different contexts for corruption. I stand behind what I said the day before and I believe it's true. However, the information must come from Washington. I can't give you any timeline, nor how many people will be on the list”, American Ambassador Aggeler said.

It confirmed once again the stated data that more than one person from North Macedonia will be in the so-called <x0-seconds black players of US sanctions”.

A sanctions team from the United States on December 6th 2022 has stayed in northern Macedonia to investigate officials and former officials suspected of corruption.

American Ambassador to Skopje Angela Aggeler, the world had said this team would take a more aggressive approach to corrupt actors, such as those in the past and current”.

In April 2022, the US imposed sanctions on seven persons, who were said to have been involved in corrupt acts, including former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and former secret police director Sasho Mijalkov.

In addition to Gruevski and Mijalkov, members of their close family were included on the blacklist.