former chief of Macedonian Telecommunications, Atila Sendrei and three of his associates charged with power abuse and embezzlement.

Macedonian police on Wednesday charged the former chief of Macedonian Telecommunications, Atila Sendrei and three of his associates with power abuse and embezzlement. All four are suspected for making fictional consulting deals with companies based in Cyprus during 2005. Sendrei this way might have embezzled up to €4 million, the police said at a press conference.Macedonia’s Telecom refused to comment for Balkan Insight and announced a press release for later.“Sendrei is not in the company for more than a year so we have no contact with him what so ever,” Verce Stefkovska from the Telecom’s public relations department said.
The fraud cost Macedonia at least €800,000 since at the time the state owned 47 percent of the company shares, police spokesman Ivo Kotevski told local media at the press.Since all four suspected are foreign citizens and are not available to the investigation, the police said that it might later issue international warrants.
“The case has been submitted to the public persecution. When it reaches the court the Police will decide on the warrant issue,” Kotevski said.Sendrei came to Macedonia after Magyar Telecom took over the country’s state-owned telecommunications company which had a monopoly in the industry at the time.
Macedonians remember Sendrei for the reported record profits the company made while he was its head.Macedonian Telecomunications later re-branded its services and now operates under the brand of Deutsche Telecom’s T-Home.