"Target-Tvrdina" (Target-Fortress) is arguably the most prominent case launched by North Macedonia's Special Prosecution Office (SPO). It addresses the large-scale illegal wiretapping scandal in which over 20,000 citizens were unlawfully surveilled by senior operatives of the Administration for Security and Counterintelligence (UBK). The scandal prompted two investigations — one into the wiretapping itself, and the other into the destruction of surveillance equipment to conceal the affair. In 2017, these cases were merged into one indictment. While the first-instance court convicted the defendants, the Appellate Court annulled the verdict and ordered a retrial. However, due to amendments to the Criminal Code in 2023, key charges fell within the statute of limitations, leaving justice unfulfilled.

The wiretapping scandal broke in February 2015 when the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) party began releasing covertly recorded tapes implicating officials of the government, at the time led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), in mass illegal surveillance and other state abuses. The scandal produced a prolonged political crisis in North Macedonia, prompting the European Union to broker an inter-party agreement. As part of that deal, a special prosecution was established in September 2015 to investigate the claims of illegal surveillance.

On 30 March 2016, the Special Prosecution Office announced an investigation, codenamed "Fortress", into the illegal destruction of two communication surveillance systems in 2015, allegedly used for the unauthorized wiretapping. The destruction of the communications systems was intended to cover up the operation run by the counterintelligence administration.

According to the prosecution, in February 2015, Sašo Mijalkov, former director of the counterintelligence agency, ordered Goran Grujevski, then head of the administration’s fifth directorate, to destroy two surveillance systems under the pretext that they were outdated. Grujevski, alongside Toni Jakimovski, head of the counterintelligence administration’s coordination department, formed a commission to execute the destruction. This operation was approved by former interior minister Gordana Jankuloska. The systems were first compressed and then shredded, with the entire process monitored and documented by the accused. To conceal the illegality of the destruction, documents were fabricated and official records were manipulated to backdate the destruction to 2014. Measures to prevent evidence discovery included threats to whistleblowers. The destruction caused an estimated financial loss to the state budget of 87,261,058.50 denars (approximately €10 million).

On 18 November 2016, the Special Prosecution Office launched another investigation, codenamed "Target", to uncover the perpetrators, methods and motives behind the illegal wiretapping. The investigation accused ten employees of the counterintelligence agency, including former director Sašo Mijalkov who allegedly co-directed the entire operation.

Evidence revealed that between 2008 and 2015, the agency wiretapped at least 4,286 phone numbers without court authorization. An additional 1,541 numbers were monitored either before authorization was granted or after it expired. Overall, the special prosecution estimated more than 20,000 phone numbers were monitored, including those targeted for illegal surveillance and people who spoke with the monitored individuals. Key members of the operation often added phone numbers without court approval and listened to communications of politicians, businesspeople, journalists and others. Group leaders could also access the system remotely. The surveillance mostly targeted ministers and officials from the then ruling VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) parties. According to the special prosecution, the illegal wiretapping continued even after the scandal was exposed.

The two investigations were eventually merged into a single case named "Target-Fortress". On 30 June 2017, the special prosecution filed an indictment against 12 individuals. The prosecution claimed that Mijalkov, the primary defendant, established a criminal organisation to conduct large-scale illegal surveillance for personal gain. Other defendants included former minister Gordana Jankuloska and former employees of the Administration for Security and Counterintelligence agency Goran Grujevski, Nikola Boskovski, Nadica Nikolić, Toni Jakimovski, Vladimir Varelov, Marijan Sumulikovski, Silvana Zlatova, Vasil Isakovski, Valentina Simonoska and Elena Dzilanova. They faced several charges including criminal association, abuse of official position and forgery of official documents.

On 18 July 2017, the Skopje Criminal Court ordered the detention of Grujevski and Boskovski, both of whom fled but were arrested in Greece in October 2017.

Meanwhile, in May 2017, separate court proceedings, codenamed "Fortress 2", were initiated to prosecute seven defendants, including Grujevski, accused of falsifying and destroying official documents pertaining to the dismantled surveillance equipment. On 8 November 2017, all defendants in the "Fortress 2" trial were found guilty of forgery. Grujevski was sentenced in absentia to 18 months, while the others received suspended sentences.  

On 17 November 2017, before the main "Target-Fortress" trial began, defendant Dzilanova admitted her guilt and was sentenced to a six-month suspended prison term in a separate criminal procedure.

The main "Target-Fortress" trial, scheduled for December 2017, was delayed pending a ruling from the Greek Supreme Court on North Macedonia's extradition request for Grujevski and Boskovski. In May 2018, Greece rejected the request. Meanwhile, on 10 April 2018, the Court of Appeals annulled Grujevski's guilty verdict in the "Fortress 2" case and ordered a retrial in absentia.

During the main "Target-Fortress" trial, which started in 2018, the defendants maintained their innocence (see here and here), while the prosecution argued that the evidence was incriminating and requested the maximum penalties for the leading defendants.

In November 2019, in the "Fortress 2" retrial, Grujevski was again sentenced in absentia to 18 months.

On 26 February 2021, the Skopje Basic Criminal Court issued a first-instance verdict in the "Target-Fortress" case, convicting 11 defendants. Mijalkov received a 12-year prison sentence, while Grujevski and Boskovski were each sentenced to 15 years. Jakimovski received six years, Nikolić three years and former minister Jankuloska received four years. The other defendants received suspended two-year sentences. Judge Vladimir Tufegdzic stated that the court was certain the mass illegal wiretapping was conducted using the counterintelligence agency’s surveillance equipment and was organized by Mijalkov.

However, on 16 December 2022, the Skopje Court of Appeals annulled the first-instance verdict and ordered a retrial in the Basic Criminal Court, citing significant procedural violations during the initial trial.

The retrial began in February 2023. Nonetheless, in September 2023, amendments to the Criminal Code reduced penalties for certain offenses, leading to the faster expiration of the statute of limitations. As a result, in October 2023, the court stopped criminal proceedings against six of the defendants (Grujevski, Mijalkov, Nikolić, Varelov, Shumulikoski and Isakovski), due to expiration of the statute of limitations on charges of criminal association and abuse of official position. Only those defendants charged with the destruction of equipment remained subject to trial.

The retrial of the case is underway at the time of writing, with court hearings in progress.

On January 13, 2025, the Basic Criminal Court delivered the following verdict: For abuse of official position and falsification of documents related to the destruction of communication monitoring systems in UBK, the court declared the accused Toni Jakimovski and Valentina Simonovska, who were present in court, guilty, as well as Goran Grujevski and Nikola Boskoski, former intelligence officers who fled to Greece, and were tried in absentia.

For abuse of official position and falsification of documents, Toni Jakimovski was sentenced to a single prison term of three years, which includes time spent in detention. Goran Grujevski was sentenced to a single prison term of 14.5 years, and Nikola Boskoski to a single prison term of 9 years and 10 months. Jakimovski and Boskoski are required to compensate for the damages within three months.

The accused Valentina Simonovska received a conditional sentence with a two-year prison term, provided she does not commit another crime within five years. Former Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska was acquitted, as the prosecution failed to prove the charges during the trial. Previously, the case against the former head of the secret service, Sasho Mijalkov, was dismissed due to changes in the Criminal Code.

The "Target-Fortress" case exposed severe abuses within the state security system, including violations of fundamental rights. It also highlighted how top officials exploited state surveillance equipment for personal gain at the expense of public funds. Although the public remains frustrated by a perceived lack of justice, Mijalkov, the primary suspect, and former minister Jankulovska both served prison sentences for convictions in other special prosecution cases. Gruevski, however, widely believed to have orchestrated the scheme, was never charged for the illegal wiretapping. Finally, the case illustrates how amendments to the Criminal Code have hindered corruption prosecutions in North Macedonia, eroding public trust in state institutions and judicial reforms. This underscores the need for public scrutiny and action against laws that could facilitate corruption.