The trial for the murders of Vanja and Panche continues today at the Basic Criminal Court Skopje, featuring testimony from defendant Vlatko Keshishev. This follows previous testimony from other defendants, including Bore Videvski, who denied any involvement in the murders, and Velibor Manev, who detailed the kidnappings and implicated Ljupcho Palevski as the coordinator and perpetrator.

Manev testified that the initial plan was to kidnap a woman in her late 30s or early 40s and that he and others attempted to dissuade Palevski after realizing the victim was a child. He stated they were promised 150,000 euros for the kidnappings and denied any involvement of Vanja’s father, Aleksandar Gjorchevski.

Both Manev and Videvski alleged they were subjected to torture during police interrogations.

Following Keshishev’s testimony, Aleksandar Gjorchevski, Vanja’s father, and Ljupcho Palevski are scheduled to testify.

The indictment alleges that Ljupcho Palevski, Bore Videvski, Velibor Manev, Vlatko Keshishov, and Aleksandar Gjorchevski conspired to kidnap 14-year-old Vanja for ransom. Additionally, Panche Zhezovski was allegedly kidnapped to steal his vehicle for use in Vanja’s kidnapping.

Vanja and Panche were reported missing on November 27 and 24, respectively, and were found dead near Skopje and Veles on December 3, 2023.