Slaveski Tells Filipče to Delete His "Shameful Post": Alta Banka's Customers Got a Duel on X Instead of a Deadline

The Alta Banka case didn't survive a single evening as a banking story. After the National Bank imposed temporary administration on the Bitola bank and a weekly limit of 10,000 denars, SDSM leader Venko Filipče wrote on X: "What kind of decision is this by Trajko Slaveski, that citizens can't withdraw their money, that they can only take out 10,000 denars a week, while companies can take as much as they want?" He called it "a criminal decision by a criminal government".

The governor didn't wait for a spokesman. He replied personally, opening with "Dear doctor" and using operating-theatre jargon at the expense of the opposition leader's profession as a surgeon: "a reasonable person would have 'surgically' removed/deleted this shameful post right away". Then came the substance: unlike citizens, companies won't be able to withdraw funds from their accounts, only to transfer money, in unlimited amounts, to the accounts of other clients of the bank. The ending was straight out of a classroom: "Is that clear now?"

Who can take out what

If the governor is describing the decision accurately, Filipče started from a false premise: companies can't withdraw as much as they want. That will be easy to check, since Slaveski says the administration order will be published in the Official Gazette and one daily newspaper.

But one corrected sentence doesn't close the other questions. MP Slavjanka Petrovska told him: "Slaveski, your salary will land in full. Alta Banka's customers will be getting their own money in instalments, 10,000 denars a week!" She wants the governor to explain what checks came before the takeover of the bank was approved, what supervision showed and how long the restriction will last. "If you failed, resign," she said.

SDSM goes a step further. MPs of the party and its coalition have announced an interpellation of the governor and a demand for an investigation to establish any criminal liability. Filipče is due to announce the next steps today at 11:30 in the parliament's press centre.

The National Bank keeps repeating that the administration is a temporary measure to protect the bank's assets and its depositors. Maybe so. But for now the governor and the opposition are talking to each other, while the customer with a limit on their card waits for someone to address them: how long does this last, and who answers if it doesn't end well?