Macedonian businessman's wealth from blacklist beyond borders

On Wednesday, the U.S. put businessman Jordan Orce Kamchev on a blacklist for all acts of corruption he allegedly did from 2000 onward.

According to the Office for Foreign Asset Control, within the US Treasury Department, Kamchev “is involved in corruption activities and has promoted a selfish agenda at the expense of institutions and citizens of North Macedonia”.

Northern Macedonia Justice Minister Krenar Lloga said on Thursday that Kamchev “is the main sponsor of the destruction of Special Prosecutor”, which was founded in 2016 for prosecuting officials suspected of corruption and organised crime before it was removed three years later because of its involvement in corruption activities.

Mr. Kamchev happened what was expected to happen, what the justice organs here are not doing. Kamchev is one of the main sponsors for the destruction of the Special Public Prosecutor, and his name is linked to many other problems that are in the country today. I'm glad he's on the American blacklist, but he's very sorry that North Macedonia's judicial organs haven't seen him, and they don't see how the ordinary citizen in the country” sees him, Lloga said.

He has said the justice ministry has no competencies to intervene in the judiciary, but added that as a member of the Judiciary Council, he will raise the issue before this body.

Despite that stance, US Ambassador to Skopje Angela Aggeler said Thursday that institutions should act and punish all persons involved in corruption.

“Public deserves reliable institutions that follow democratic values, with transparency and no compromise. For Northern Macedonia to continue the path of its prosperity, which it has set for itself as its goal, corruption cannot be investigated. The actors involved in corruption must certainly suffer the consequences in accordance with law”, Aggeler said, at a media conference, where he clarified once again the US decision to blacklist the Macedonian businessman.

Jordan Orce Kamchev is familiar to former Macedonian secret police director Sasho Mijalkov, and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who have also been sentenced to high prison sentences for abuse of office, while facing other court processes.

Kamchev, in a case known as the “Vodnos” parcels, was found guilty of involvement in a money laundering scheme in connection with the illegal purchase of land for construction.

He was sentenced to one year in prison, but the time of his detention was spent in custody from March 2021 until January 2022, when he was released with an 11m-euro banking guarantee that he would not leave the law bodies in terms of other investigations, including the “Perendoria<1> case for money laundering and other abuses.

Kamchev is director of the company “Orka Holding”, which was founded in 1990 by his father.

He was related to another company “Exiko”, which according to the Investigative Journal Network (IRL ), has been “alone on paper”. Owners of this company associated with many other companies abroad were used mainly for illegal activities.

It has served to open or purchase other companies”, according to RRGH research.

Through firms abroad, it had an impact on every sphere, such as agriculture, medicine, hotels, banks, textiles, and media. There was almost no sector that did not have ownership shares, according to IRL.

Some of these companies are suspected of winning tenders worth tens of millions of euros.

Kamchev is co-owner of the private hospital “Sistina” in Skopje, but also of many other businesses inside and outside of northern Macedonia.

He expanded his business in Bulgaria even with a chain of hospitals, while together with Russian businessman Sergey Samsonenko, they also work in Russia.

American Ambassador Angela Aggeler stressed that other people suspected of involvement in corruption and organised crime may be added to the blacklist, which, according to her, undermine citizens' trust in democratic institutions in northern Macedonia. /rel