Orce Kamcev, a Macedonian businessman and one of the richest people in the country, was put in 30-day detention in the early hours of November 10 as part of the probe launched by the Special Prosecutor Office (SPO).

On November 9, the SPO launched a pre-investigative procedure against Kamcev, ex-intelligence chief Saso Mijalkov and other 11 people on suspicion of criminal association, abuse of their positions, fraud and money laundering.

Kamcev was known to be close to the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which is now in opposition, when the party was on power between 2006 2017. Forbes magazine named Kamcev as Macedonia’s richest person in 2016.

The investigation is focused on Kamcev’s business empire and his relations with Mijalkov, who is also a businessman and a cousin of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski.  Both Mijalkov and Gruevski are under investigation in other corruption and criminal cases launched by the SPO, which probes high level crime.

The investigation under the code name Empire (Imperija) may be expanded to include more people, the SPO said in the statement on November 9.

The SPO ordered 30-day detention for Kamcev and four associates. Kamcev is understood to have been put in one of the six detention cells for “privileged” persons, Fokus reported.

“The SPO provided sufficient evidences that the suspects committed the crimes in the period from 2002 to 2013, for which they are charged with, personally and through legal entities that had been, or are in their possession,” the SPO said in the statement.

Kamcev is an owner of Orka Holding and he and his family are also involved in many businesses in Macedonia, including in health care, hotels, food and dairy as well as the real estate sector.