Macedonia’s A1 TV Account Unblocked

However, A1 says the threat against the station is still present as the decision is not final.

The court on Tuesday annulled the decision to block the account, which was handed down by investigative judge Tufegdzic in January, and ordered him to re consider his measure for freezing the accounts.

“In relation to an appeal filed by the executive manager of A1 Television challenging the magistrate's decision to temporarily freeze the bank accounts of A1 and other companies to ensure that law enforcement authorities seize the proceeds of criminal activities, the court decided to uphold the request by the defense lawyer,” the court said in a statement on Tuesday.

The accounts of three dailies, Vreme, Koha e Re and Spic, part of the same media group, were also unfrozen.

“The TV suffers pressure [from the government] on many levels and the freezing of the account was one of the most serious,” A1 editor-in-chief Mladen Cadikovski said.

The TV has also complained that the centre-right government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has been pressuring companies to stop advertising on the television.

The prime minister denies he has in any way contributed to the problems that A1 faces.

Authorities on January 27 froze the bank accounts of a dozen companies registered at the address of the A1 television channel. The move came after the A1 owner and several of his associates were arrested in December on suspicion that they committed large-scale financial crime.

As the controversy surrounding the A1 account unfolded, the opposition announced that it would begin a boycott of parliament, stepping up their accusations that the government curbs freedoms, delivers poor economic results and blocks the country's entry into NATO and the EU.

The court on Tuesday also decided to grant house arrest to two other women detained in the case. This comes after a pregnant woman who was held in custody as part of the case suffered a miscarriage last week.