VZCZCXRO7591
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0290 1070849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170849Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5955
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000290 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: CONTROVERSIAL ORTHODOX CHURCH FIGURE TO 
BE RELEASED FROM PRISON 
 
REF: 06 SKOPJE 316 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1. (U) Zoran Vraniskovski, the defrocked Macedonian Orthodox 
Church (MOC) bishop recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church 
(SOC) as Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, likely will be released 
from prison on May 1, after serving nine months of a one-year 
sentence for an embezzlement conviction (reftel). 
Vraniskovski began serving the sentence on August 8, 2006 
after being convicted of embezzling 57,000 euros of funds 
donated to the MOC.  On February 22, the Veles Trial Court 
decided in favor of Vraniskovski's appeal for an early 
release due to good behavior, which would allow him to be 
freed on parole as of May 1.  Vraniskovski was out of prison 
for several days on leave for the Easter holiday; he was 
expected to return to prison on April 15 and to be released 
shortly thereafter. (NOTE: The Macedonian prison system 
allows prisoners in an "open" regime a certain number of 
leave days, which Vraniskovski has typically taken in order 
to celebrate religious holidays with his followers.) 
 
¶2. (U) On April 10, the Veles Trial Court also acquitted 
Vraniskovski, for the second time, on a separate embezzlement 
charge stemming from accusations that Vraniskovski embezzled 
324,000 euros of MOC funds while he was still a MOC bishop. 
Vraniskovski was originally acquitted by the Veles Trial 
Court on April 3, 2006.  However, on January 24, the Skopje 
Appellate Court accepted the prosecution's appeal and ordered 
the Veles court to retry the case.  This acquittal, however, 
may not be the end of Vraniskovski's legal wrangles, as the 
prosecution is expected to appeal the acquittal once again. 
 
¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: Vraniskovski's expected early release from 
prison will put an end to nearly two years of on-again, 
off-again imprisonment on convictions his supporters argued 
were politically and religiously motivated. If the latest 
acquittal on the second embezzlement charge stands, it may 
end further legal proceedings against him.   Vraniskovski's 
release could serve to reduce tensions between the MOC and 
SOC, and also is a positive step forward in the government's 
efforts to end this intra-Orthodox dispute and demonstrate 
its commitment to full religious freedom in Macedonia in 
order to meet NATO and EU membership standards. 
MILOVANOVIC