SHOTS AT THE REGIME

The Mob Settling Accounts in Skopje

AIM Skopje, November 26, 1997

Ace Bocevski, better known as the "Gypsy", killed Senad Ibrahimi in the Al Capone style, in broad daylight in the center of Skopje. They chased each other around the capital of Macedonia in cars, not far the National Parliament building. The Gypsy was driving a black "Chevrolet-Corvette" and poor Senad a "Mercedes", which the police had checked several days earlier to see whether it was bullet-proof.

The killer lied for days in wait for his victim. He set up an ambush where the old swing-gate used to be and where the drivers have to slow down either because of many holes on the road or because of the cobble-stoned driveway. Unsuspecting Ibrahimi drove right into Bocevski's fire. Badly wounded he started towards the center of the town. He made only some 800 meters. He drove into a tree with his car. The Gypsy caught up with him, dragged him out of the car and shot him once more. Just to make sure, say the witnesses.

In cold blood, not caring at all, Bocevski dialed his mobile phone and without any excitement said to someone on the line: "It is over!" He switched off his mobile phone put his leg up on his car and waited for the police. He is in detention now.

According to the witnesses a man who was sitting all that time in Chevrolet watching this savage murder, which increasingly resembles a brutal execution, disappeared after all was over.

However, two facts are most confusing for the local public. First, this gangster like cold-blooded premeditated murder with an ambush and the last bullet fired in the back of the victim's head, and second, a report that things had been taken care of. Connecting these two facts with Gypsy's "short C.V" we get a story implicating the top establishment and state echelons.

Namely, at the 1994 presidential and parliamentary elections, Ace Bocevski - the Gypsy once worked for the security service of the so called "Alliance for Macedonia" (SZM) headed by President Kiro Gligorov.

The SZM consisted of three Macedonian parties which came out of the SKM (the League of Communists of Macedonia): the Social-Democratic Alliance, Reformist Forces - Liberal Party and the Socialist Party. Their strongest opponent was the VMRO - DPMNE, a nationally coloured, anti-communist party with which the Macedonian communists have been at a latent civil war from the the times of the SHS. Since the VMRO - DPMNE significantly grew after 50 years of persecution, the SZM hired a special security service for the 1994 elections.

This group, affectionately called "the violinists" was to guard the President Gligorov, also Branko Crvenkovski, the SDSM leader, Stojan Andov, the Reformists' chief and Kirce Popovski, now late SP President. They were called "the violinists" after Al Capone's "hit men" who carried their "Thompson" submachine guns in violincases. However, this is not where the analogy ends. At VMRO - DPMNE rallies the SDSM "violinists" were in charge of organizing provocations aimed at breaking up gatherings.

Since they enjoyed police protection, and after all worked for the authorities, they soon started overstepping their authority. In Prilep, at an opposition mass gathering they beat black and blue a group of peaceful citizens who had gathered at this promotional rally of deputy candidates. This happened again at the rally in Kocani. They mostly worked at nights, pursuing the opposition youth and activists who were posting election posters. In short, they did as they pleased and felt like. And all that under the protection of the police, some Cabinet Ministers and high officials from the SDSM electoral headquarters.

Among the leaders of this group of "violinists" was Ace Bocevski. When the elections ended as they did, "the violinists" lost their job. Namely, in the second round the opposition boycotted the 1994 elections, while Gligorov, resorting to mathematical alchemy and games with citizenship, won in the first round.

The problems which have obviously culminated in show-downs in broad daylight, have started when "the violinists" were left without their conductor. After winning the elections, the SDSM was busy forming the Cabinet, but also with machinations aimed at driving out unwanted Reformists. Abandoned, "the violinists" started working on their own, with silent support of the police and some high SDSM officials. They beat up people and engaged in racketeering. They started throwing their weight around and in an outburst of uncontrolled rage smashed into pieces the night club "Hard Rock". That was the last straw. Since the night club was a gathering place of the newly created elite and the owners were close to the SDSM as well as some other emerging potentates, a scandal was inevitable. The "Hard Rock" owners raised much dust. There was no turning back.

The then Minister Ismail Djuner and the present Minister Laze Kitanovski were implicated in this scandal which filled the papers, which despite the control, got the "green light" to write about it. An unexpectedly bold reaction of the owners, who obviously had support, as well as the attack from within the violinist's own ranks, prompted the Reformists to demand an investigation which the SDSM was forced to accept. The investigation immediately incriminated Bocevski and a group of violinists. Some were sentenced to prison, but most of them remained free.

With the murder of Senad Ibrahimi, "the violinists" have returned to the limelight. Reporters of the Macedonian media do not hide that almost all members and even some conductors of "the violinists" appeared on the scene of the crime before the police. Eye witnesses say that they carried out investigation on the spot and not the police.

What is more, Bocevski was not brought in by a crime-investigation officer, but rather by a traffic policeman. There was an awful chaos on the scene of the crime which reminded the more experienced observers of the confusion that ensued after the attempt made on President Gligorov's life in October 1995. Then, as well as probably now, all evidence was destroyed that could direct a fair investigation to the one ordering the murder and not only to the executioner, who surrendered.

Bocevski was so cool-headed after the murder that, with a cigarette in his mouth, after successfully completing a job he waited to be arrested. Journalists of black columns claim that the Gypsy was convinced that the "backing" he had enjoyed at the times "violinists" were SDSM favourites, will save him again. It is even speculated that he will quickly disappear once the dust settles.

No matter how the murder committed near the Parliament building resembles an ordinary settling of scores between mobs, some strange facts have started coming to the surface.

Namely, it turns out now that Senad Ibrahimi was not a mobster at all. On the contrary, all his interviewed neighbours in unison claim that he was a good and honest man who helped everyone. Also, that he had no debts. He defended everyone working for him. That was, allegedly, why he was killed. Defending his workers from the arrogant Gypsy he once beat him up. There is an impression that the Gypsy killed Senad because he had offended and humiliated him. Also, the fact that Senad Ibrahimi, a robust man, was once a boxing champion came out only two days after his murder.

When all this is put together, various political schemings come out. The first hypothesis is that things have started unravelling within the SDSM. Racketeers have started popping out in the conflict that has broken out between factions, one of which, headed by Tito Petkovski, President of the Assembly, now claims that all these affairs and scandals, especially the cases of "violinists" and "Hard Rock" cafe have inflicted great damages to the SDSM. It is even said that the "Senad" case was staged so as to implicate the present Defence Minister, Laza Kitanovski, who during 1994 elections, as chief of the SDSM crisis headquarters and of the Alliance for Macedonia, was the violinists' boss.

A whole bunch of logical questions remains unanswered thus leaving open space for more speculations. For the time being it is only clear that by shooting the late Senad in his head, the Gypsy has also taken a shot into the heart of the regime which will have much explaining and clarifying to do. If nothing else, to prove that mafia has not yet taken of Macedonia.

In any case, there is truth in the commentary of the local observers that Macedonia has definitely fallen to the bottom of the post-communist chaos. It is no longer an oasis of peace, and judging by the increased social tension, it is on the right track of reacting to the inevitable elections with an explosion.

AIM Skopje

SLOBODAN CASULE