The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party has urged the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Sashko Mitovski, the mayor of Kriva Palanka from the SDSM party, accusing him of intentionally spreading panic regarding alleged water pollution in Kriva Reka following an incident at the “Toranica” mine.

VMRO-DPMNE alleges that Mitovski knowingly misled the public by claiming cyanide levels in Kriva Reka were 100 times above the permissible limit, using this to gain political advantage before local elections. Mitovski, citing reports from accredited laboratories, had previously stated at a press conference that water samples taken after the “Toranica” mine accident indicated serious pollution, posing a risk to human health, flora, and fauna along the river.

Mitovski highlighted significantly elevated concentrations of harmful substances, particularly a tenfold increase in heavy metals like lead, along with increased levels of cyanide, phosphorus, and nitrogen. He also released an analysis by the Institute of Public Health confirming the presence of heavy metals in the river.

The local government holds BULMAK 2016 DOOEL, the company managing the Toranica mine, responsible for the water contamination.

However, Ivana Ginovska, director of the State Environmental Inspectorate, refuted Mitovski’s claims, stating that cyanide levels were only twice the permitted level, not hundreds of times higher. She also acknowledged that inspectors did not collect samples immediately after the accident. Ginovska added that subsequent samples taken from six points, including the mayor’s sampling location, yielded different results than those presented by Mitovski.

When questioned about the validity of the accredited laboratories’ results, Ginovska stated she wasn’t questioning their accuracy but suggested the mayor might have misinterpreted the findings, leading to the spread of panic with claims of extremely high cyanide levels.

In response, SDSM accused Ginovska of protecting polluters instead of citizens. They expressed concern over Ginovska’s admission that the inspectors on duty after the tailings overflow in Toranichka River had close ties to the Bulmak mine, with one being a former employee and the other’s spouse working for the company.

The State Inspectorate’s report attributed the incident to a burst pipe carrying technological water.

“Bulmak” 2016 received a fine of 180,000-200,000 euros for the legal entity and 10,000 euros for the responsible person, the highest fine under environmental law. The company signed an agreement, and the case was referred to the Commission for Settlement at the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning.