The Veles Sector of Internal Affairs submitted a criminal complaint to the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Veles against a legal entity from the village of Buzalkovo (Veles region), due to grounds for suspicion of committing the criminal offense of “falsification or destruction of business records.” A criminal complaint was also filed against the manager of the legal entity, N.J. (51) from the same village, on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of “falsification or destruction of business records” and “theft”; against J.J. (25) from Buzalkovo, a driver employed by the legal entity, on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of “use of a document with false content”; and against K.T. (61) from the village of Chaloshevo (Veles region), an employee of the Public Enterprise “National Forests” – Forest Management Unit “Babuna” – Veles, on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of “abuse of official position and authority,” “forgery of an official document,” and “theft.”
Following previously obtained operational intelligence regarding illegal logging, on 26.09.2024, police officers from the Economic Crime Unit and the Criminal Police within the Veles Sector of Internal Affairs undertook official measures. In a coordinated action, they stopped a cargo vehicle “Mercedes” with Veles registration plates, owned by the legal entity and driven by J.J., which was loaded with wood. During the control, he presented only one consignment note, although he was required to have two identical copies—one for the buyer and one for the transporter.
On the same day, a passenger vehicle “Fiat Stilo” with Veles registration plates, driven by K.T., was also stopped. During the inspection, consignment notes from the Forest Management Unit “Babuna” – Veles and other items were found. A comparison of the consignment notes revealed inconsistencies, including missing data on the quantity of wood mass, the time period of transport, and the registration plates of the transport vehicle.
A consignment note belonging to the legal entity was also found, containing suspicious entries used for additional alterations of values such as quantities, cargo vehicles, registration plates, time periods, and signatures. Due to suspicion of forgery, the Forest Management Unit “Babuna,” the Forest Police, and the Veles Sector of Internal Affairs carried out an inspection, which established that the wood found in the cargo vehicle had been cut and loaded from a parcel different from the one for which the legal entity had a contract for logging, collection, and transport.
The public prosecutor was informed of the event, and following instructions from the prosecutor and an order issued by the Basic Court in Veles, a control was carried out at the legal entity. During this, N.J., in his capacity as manager and owner, failed to present the complete documentation of the company’s operations for 2024.