On September 10, 2026, near the Želino interchange on the Skopje-Tetovo highway, police officers, under the guidance of a public prosecutor from the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, arrested J.I. (63) from Šipkovica, Tetovo, who is the assistant director of the Customs Administration of North Macedonia. Today (September 11, 2026), the Corruption Unit within the Criminal Investigation Sector of the Department for the Suppression of Organized and Serious Crime submitted a criminal report against him to the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption for the committed criminal offenses of "accepting a bribe" under Article 357 and "accepting a reward for unlawful influence" under Article 359 of the Criminal Code.
From April to September 2026, the accused repeatedly requested a total of 17,500 euros from a citizen who reported the incident. Of the total amount, he requested and received 7,500 euros in connection with an already concluded public procurement contract for the needs of the Customs Administration, aiming to ensure that the contract continued to be executed without obstacles and without the risk of its termination. Additionally, he requested 10,000 euros to leverage his actual influence in a public procurement procedure that was pending before the State Commission for Appeals in Public Procurement. His intention was, upon the return of the procedure for reconsideration to the Customs Administration, to influence the modification of the criteria in the technical specification in favor of the legal entity.
On September 10, 2026, during a previously arranged meeting, the accused received the requested amount of 17,500 euros and then headed towards Tetovo. Near the Želino interchange on the Skopje-Tetovo highway, police officers attempted to stop him, but he did not halt and collided with a police officer and an official vehicle, after which he fled the scene. In the process, he threw a male bag containing the money out of the passenger side window. Shortly thereafter, police officers stopped the vehicle, and J.I. was detained.