Criminal charges have been filed against 23 individuals and 15 legal entities from Strumica, North Macedonia, following an investigation into alleged tax evasion, money laundering, and criminal association. The Department for Suppression of Organized and Serious Crime, in cooperation with several other law enforcement agencies, filed the criminal complaint with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption.

The investigation centers around R.K. (56), Z.K.V. (30), and V.P. (29), all from Strumica, who are suspected of organizing a criminal association. They are accused of money laundering, tax evasion, and criminal association.

The alleged scheme involved several other individuals, including managers of legal entities, tax inspectors from the Public Revenue Office, and authorized accountants, all from Strumica. These individuals are suspected of participating in the criminal association and facilitating tax evasion.

According to the investigation, from 2019 to 2024, the organizers of the criminal association allegedly used legal entities under their control to generate false invoices and record fictitious transactions. This allowed them to avoid paying taxes and launder money. The accountants and tax inspectors are accused of aiding in these activities.

Authorities estimate that the defendants gained an illegal profit of 5,801,937,796 denars (approximately 94.3 million euros) at the expense of the state budget.