State Environmental Inspectorate Director Ivana Ginovska refuted Mayor Sashko Mitovski’s claims of dangerously high cyanide levels in Kriva Reka following an accident in “Toranica.” She stated that claims of cyanide levels being hundreds of times above the permissible level are untrue, contradicting the mayor’s assertions made on March 28 and emphasizing that spreading public panic is a criminal offense.

Ginovska clarified that while inspectors didn’t sample the water on the day of the accident, samples were taken from six points at her request, including the mayor’s sampling location. She implied the mayor may have misinterpreted the results from accredited laboratories, causing unnecessary panic by claiming cyanide levels were excessively high, whereas their analyses indicated levels less than two.

Ginovska confirmed inspectors are independent in their decision-making and clarified that no fish mortality has been observed in Kriva Reka since March 14.

She has requested and received all previous examinations for review and will submit all analyses to the Kumanovo Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has already opened a case, as well as analyses from the fishing association “Mrena,” the company “Bulmak,” and the mayor. Furthermore, she mentioned that proving “Ecocide” requires a comprehensive analysis, not just a single sample from one location.

Ginovska also noted that “Bulmak” was previously fined significantly for environmental violations in 2016, receiving the highest penalty possible under environmental law, and the case was later handed over to the Settlement Commission at the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning. She concluded that the Kriva Reka case is sensitive and should not be politicized.

Mitovski had previously reported alarmingly high concentrations of lead, cyanide, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the water following the March 14 incident, claiming cyanide levels were hundreds of times above permissible limits.