Controversial Skopje 2014 revamp could be subject of criminal investigation

The grandiose government-funded revamp of the Macedonian capital, titled Skopje 2014, may become the subject of criminal investigation after Macedonia’s Special Prosecution, SJO, seized documents from the Culture Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, the documents seized relate to a tender worth 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to construct the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, one of the most expensive aspects of Skopje 2014. The documents obtained by BIRN for its database, Skopje 2014 Uncovered, reveal that it cost more than 16 million euros ($17.6 million), with costs initially greatly underestimated. This was apparently largely due to the signing of 123 contracts with firms and individuals, many of which were supplementary to the original contract.

The cost of Skopje’s new look has risen sharply, far exceeding the initial figure of 80 million euros ($88 million) envisaged for the entire initiative when the project was announced in 2010. The project is now due to cost a total of 667 million euros ($734 million), and includes renovated buildings, new facades, sculptures, monuments and fountains.

Source: Balkan Insight