Transparency International Macedonia continues to carry out its regular monthly activities for monitoring cases and activities related to corrupt behavior and the fight against corruption, which we’ve named “Light & Dark”
The monitoring of these cases has received significant attention, both in the public sphere and among domestic and foreign relevant stakeholders, and over time, it has evolved into a relevant indicator for measuring corruption and assessing the government’s willingness to address this issue.
“DARK” OCCURRENCES FOR APRIL 2025
From top marks for the SCPC to suspect in “Additive” – SCPC President Tatjana Dimitrovska allegedly leaked official secrets to a defendant via Messaging Apps – Just three months after her appointment, Tatjana Dimitrovska, President of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC), allegedly began committing the offense for which she is now under suspicion. She is accused of leaking official secrets via messaging applications to a defendant in the “Additive” case. At a time of widespread public distrust in the judiciary, the SCPC was seen as a rare bright spot in the fight against corruption. The new composition of the Commission inherited a reputation built by its previous members. However, the situation now appears to be at a turning point. The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption issued an order to initiate an investigative procedure against three individuals as part of the ongoing “Additive” case. Among them, as the third suspect, is SCPC President Tatjana Dimitrovska. The evidence leading to her has reportedly emerged from extracted electronic data collected during the investigation so far.
They took bribes, then prepared fake documentation for alleged examinations,, checkups, and reports to grant disability pensions and personal care assistance – a former ENT doctor from Skopje at the center of the scheme – A former doctor from the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Clinic in Skopje is at the center of a criminal scheme involving the issuance of disability pensions and personal care assistance through fraudulent means. According to statements from the involved institutions, she organized two criminal groups that received bribes in exchange for falsifying medical documentation and managing procedures for obtaining social welfare benefits. The scheme involved doctors from ENT, Neurology, the Public General Hospital in Veles, Psychiatry, as well as expert evaluators, members of the Commission for Work Capacity Assessment, a lawyer, and other officials. The process of obtaining personal care assistance benefits was routed through Veles. Applicants would pay bribes to general practitioners in the city. Medical documentation—including fake referrals, exam reports, discharge summaries, medical assessments, follow-up reports, psychological tests, expert opinions, certificates for medical aids, and other medical paperwork—was created and issued without the patients ever appearing for medical examinations.
Major quick loan fraud: 43 people falsified citizens’ personal data with help from a Health Insurance Fund Employee – A group of 43 individuals is suspected of committing large-scale fraud involving fast loans, using falsified personal data of citizens. According to the official statement, some of the suspects—contrary to legal requirements and without the citizens’ consent—used other people’s personal information to forge public documents and alter genuine ones, intending to use them as authentic. By entering false data into the information systems of various fast-loan companies, and by forging electronic signatures, the suspects took out loans in the names of unsuspecting individuals, creating obligations for them to repay funds they never actually borrowed. Part of the scheme included fabricating employment data for unemployed individuals, presenting them as employed and creditworthy. Based on this false information, they secured loans from financial institutions—loans which later became uncollectible. A crucial part of the operation was the involvement of a suspect employed at the Health Insurance Fund of North Macedonia. He allegedly provided access to resources, including the EZBO number (a unique health ID number), which he obtained using his computer and the Fund’s internal electronic system. The falsified data was then used to apply for multiple loans from different lenders in a single day, allowing the perpetrators to gain significant financial benefits. The money was withdrawn from accounts and mostly handed over to the suspected organizers of the fraud.
Geriatrics Director took €20,000 bribe to admit an Immobile patient – Together with an intermediary, the director of the Geriatric Hospital, Muhsin Arifi, allegedly demanded and received a bribe in order to admit a sick and immobile person into a geriatric care facility. According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior and the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption, the bribe amounted to €20,000.
Bodyguard inspector for Prime Minister Mickoski arrested for attempting to aell alassified documents for €50,000 – The suspect, Angel Samarakov—a senior inspector with the Unit for Personal Security of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski—was caught in a parking lot in front of a hotel in Veles while attempting to sell classified documents for €50,000, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. “The suspect, acting in his official capacity, met with an uninvited individual—a witness in the proceedings—on the evening of March 30, 2025, in the parking area of a hotel in Veles. He showed the witness official Ministry of Interior documents considered to be classified. He allowed the witness to record the documents while explaining the content and purpose of each. Motivated by personal gain and intending for the documents to be shared on social media, the suspect made the classified materials accessible, seeking to obtain €50,000 from the individual whom the documents concerned,” the prosecution stated.
Nearly half of the courts were inefficient last year – Judicial Council adopts 2024 court performance report – Nearly half of the courts in the country were inefficient in 2024. Out of 34 courts, 18 were efficient, while 16 were not—among them three appellate courts, 12 basic courts, and the Higher Administrative Court. This was announced during a session of the Judicial Council, where the annual report on the work of the courts for 2024 was reviewed. According to rapporteur Pavlina Crvenkovska, the courts in the country began last year with 131,005 unresolved cases and received an additional 569,958 new cases, bringing the total caseload to 700,739. Of these, 566,010 cases were resolved, leaving 134,729 unresolved. “The courts failed to handle the incoming caseload and increased the backlog by 3,724 cases,” Crvenkovska emphasized.
Auditors found irregularities and systemic weaknesses in the work of the Basic Court in Gostivar – According to the findings, the court lacks provisions for determining the salaries of employees performing technical and support tasks. There are inconsistent conditions for filling a single job position due to differing regulations applied by the courts, leading to confusion and inability to act effectively. Furthermore, there is no prescribed format or content for managing court deposit forms, and there is a legal and sublegal regulatory mismatch in defining the ownership of unclaimed deposited items after a ten-year period from submission. Auditors also found an absence of documentation proving ownership or rights of use for the court’s real estate. Audit: Systemic weaknesses and irregularities in the Bureau for Development of Education – Among the systemic weaknesses identified in the latest audit report of the Bureau for Development of Education are: holding a leadership position for over five years as an acting director; imprecise methods for calculating compensation for external collaborators; and a lack of financial resources for teacher training in both primary and secondary education. In 2023, the Bureau was led by two directors, neither of whom had been officially appointed through a public announcement. The previous director had led the institution for more than five years without a formal appointment. State Audit uncovers weaknesses in Public-Private Partnerships: oor results for High Costs – A state audit of public-private partnership projects from 2017 through last year reveals significant weaknesses in legislation, institutional capacity, and contract negotiation. A total of 68 contracts were identified, though auditors note the number may be higher due to poorly kept records. Of 25 analyzed procedures, the state collected about €1.5 million, while private partners earned €3 million. The private sector invested a total of €37 million, while the state’s contribution—consisting of permits, land, and facilities—could not be quantified in monetary terms. Not all contracts were properly written. One was signed for a duration of 96 years, exceeding the legal limit of 35 years. In some cases, the state was also required to pay penalties. “Ongoing legal proceedings show the public partner as a defendant in lawsuits totaling approximately €3.9 million,” the report states.
“LIGHT” OCCURRENCES FOR APRIL 2025
Prosecutor’s Office launches preliminary investigation into €7.3 million gap at the Agency for Seized Property identified by the State Audit Office – A gap of €7.3 million has been discovered in the state budget—funds that the Agency for Seized Property failed to deposit. The money comes from the sale of assets confiscated through final court rulings, as they were obtained through criminal activity. The seized assets are managed by the Agency, which is legally obligated not to misuse the funds generated from their disposal. The State Audit Office report revealed numerous irregularities in the operations of the Agency. The Prosecutor’s Office will now investigate all of these findings.
Criminal charges for serious offenses against Public Safety for 10 police officers – Ten police officers from Kochani and Shtip have been charged with criminal offenses for failing to follow safety measures and regulations, and for not conducting a full inspection before issuing an operating license for the “Pulse” cabaret in Kochani. A tragic fire at the venue last month claimed the lives of 61 people. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the officers informed the Ministry of Economy that the establishment had a fire protection plan and that there were no obstacles to public order, peace, and traffic. The officers allowed the legal entity DPTTU “Klasik DM” LLC Kochani to obtain an operating license for the “Pulse” cabaret by not adhering to the required safety measures and failing to conduct a complete inspection before granting approval for the license. Their actions created a danger to the lives and safety of individuals at a location that gathers a large number of people.
Manager of Skopje-based company concealed taxes exceeding 12 million denars – The Financial Police Directorate has submitted a criminal report to the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje, based on suspicion of tax evasion under Article 279, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code. The individual, in his capacity as manager and owner of a legal entity, consciously and with premeditated intent to unlawfully gain financial benefit for himself and the company, unlawfully appropriated and failed to record purchased goods in the accounting records. To conceal the incriminating activities, the report adds, the defendant did not prepare or submit the final accounts for 2021, 2022, and 2023 to the Public Revenue Office and the Central Register of the Republic of North Macedonia. As a result, he did not calculate, declare, or pay taxes on various grounds, amounting to 12,079,019 denars, thereby damaging the state budget of the Republic of North Macedonia. Criminal charges filed against two Struga residents for tax evasion of over 5.6 million denars – The Financial Police Directorate has filed a criminal report to the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Struga against two individuals and a legal entity, based on suspicion of tax evasion. The first suspect recorded incoming invoices in the accounting records and created a VAT claim, which he used to offset or reduce VAT obligations, thereby causing damage to the state budget of the Republic of North Macedonia through VAT at a calculation rate of 15.2542%, amounting to 5,632,920 denars, according to the Financial Police.
Retired Ministry of Interior Officers charged with concealing court verdicts and causing damage exceeding 3.3 million denars – The Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations, and Professional Standards at the Ministry of Interior has filed a criminal report with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje, charging individuals with the criminal offense of “abuse of official position and authority” under Article 353, paragraph 4, in relation to paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The first defendant, as an official, failed to carry out her duties during 2021 and 2022 by not enforcing final court rulings which ordered the termination of employment contracts for two employees. She allowed them to continue working at the Ministry of Interior. The second defendant, in her capacity as an authorized official, when the relevant verdicts arrived at the department she led, did not read them carefully and forwarded them to be registered in the records of the Sector for Legal Affairs and Protection of Personal Data. She failed to appropriately respond and send the verdicts back to the first defendant so they could be forwarded to the relevant Sector for Human Resources Management and Training for further action.
