ALDE Party President condemns Ivanov's pardon to wiretapping inquiry - Main contents
ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen MEP strongly condemns the pardon issued by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov to all politicians involved in a massive wiretapping scandal that sparked a major political crisis. Macedonia has been in a political turmoil since the recordings were released in 2015. The Macedonian President has also halted an investigation into claims of abuse of power revealed by covert recordings, saying the reasoning behind his decision was to "put an end to this agony for Macedonia."
Commenting on Ivanov's pardon, ALDE Party President said: "Macedonian President Ivanov's pardon to politicians involved in the wiretapping affair is a flagrant breach of EU-brokered deal of July 2015."
"The special prosecutor must be able to carry out its investigations independently and no pardon should be given. The EU must make clear that Ivanov should recall his pardon immediately."
Ivanov's move has also been condemned both by the opposition in Macedonia and EU officials.