The court said Ljubomir Frckoski insulted and discredited the Premier’s reputation when he wrote in the local Dnevnik daily that Gruevski was responsible for signing deals that were harmful for the state. At the time of the OKTA sale to Greek oil firm Hellenic Petroleum, Gruevski was finance minister in the government led by ex Premier Ljubco Georgievski.
“The court showed that it respects the law and that freedom of expression cannot sink to freedom of expressing lies”, Gruevski’s lawyer, Nikola Dodevski, told media after the verdict.
Frckoski, a university professor and former minister, said his comments were an effort to shed light on the role of various politicians in the sale of the refinery. As part of the verdict, has been ordered to pay the PM damages of around 32,000 euros.
Opponents of the deal have long criticised the Georgievski government for giving a monopoly to OKTA’s Greek owners and guaranteeing that the state would buy a certain amount of their products each year.
