North Macedonia is now legally opening its doors to highly questionable financial flows — potentially facilitating money laundering.
North Macedonia’s opposition Social Democratic Union (SDSM) says the personal banker of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has now also become the banker of the country’s prime minister, raising alarm over what it calls a “high-risk financial takeover,” BGNES reported.
“Just two months ago, Serbia’s Alta Bank took control of Stopanska Banka AD Bitola, and National Bank Governor Trajko Slaveski immediately approved the deal. Is this why Slaveski was chosen as governor — to quietly and swiftly push this transaction through? But the key question is: What stands behind this deal? And why are such acquisitions happening immediately after VMRO-DPMNE came to power?” SDSM Central Committee member Aleksandar Saša Dimitrievski said at a press conference.
He reminded that Alta Bank’s owner in Serbia, Davor Macura, rose in record time from running a small currency-exchange office in Zemun to becoming a bank owner, agricultural tycoon and major investor with contracts across Serbia’s state sector. The bank — “which until recently was basically a money-exchange bureau,” as Dimitrievski noted — now handles massive state business, including electricity bill payments for Serbia’s national power utility.
According to Serbian media reports, Macura’s “success formula” lies in his ties to the government, Vučić’s ruling party, and even to the president’s brother and godfather. Serbia’s opposition regularly accuses him of criminal activity, and media outlets have pointed to his friendship with Milan Radoičić, who is under U.S. sanctions and listed on the U.S. blacklist.
Dimitrievski recalled that when Macura attempted to acquire around 20% of Austria’s Addiko Bank, the European Central Bank blocked the deal over concerns about the origin of the capital. The Financial Times also reported that the ECB launched a major investigation into Macura’s company Alta Pay on suspicion of money laundering.
“This means Macedonia is now legally opening its doors to highly questionable financial flows — potentially facilitating money laundering,” Dimitrievski warned. “Why did the ECB take such a strict measure, while Trajko Slaveski and the National Bank allowed the takeover in Macedonia without hesitation? Why weren’t they more cautious?”
He argued that the transaction is directly linked to the financial-political network surrounding North Macedonia’s prime minister and VMRO-DPMNE leadership.
“Does this mark the opening of a channel for suspicious capital and influence from Serbia into Macedonia? We demand that the Financial Intelligence Office and the Financial Police launch an investigation into this extremely suspicious acquisition. We demand that the origin of funds and the risk of money laundering be thoroughly examined,” Dimitrievski said. | BGNES