“DARK” OCCURRENCES FOR DECEMBER 2025
The former State Attorney received €50,000 to influence a judge at the Court of Appeal – Police officers, acting on the order of a public prosecutor from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption, deprived F.S. of his liberty for committing the criminal offense of ‘Receiving a Reward for Unlawful Influence.’ In the period from October to December 13, 2025, the suspect received a total amount of €50,000 to mediate and use his real influence to intervene with a judge at the Skopje Court of Appeal and, through bribery of the judge, to influence the performance of an official act that should not have been performed.
Reactions to the Criminal Code – legal amendments leading to even greater impunity for public officials – The amendments reduce the maximum sentences compared to the old Criminal Code from before 2023, which shortens the statutes of limitation and narrows the scope for effective prosecution of complex corruption cases, especially those uncovered after a longer period of time, and they do not even protect the budget from abuse, say representatives of the Platform of Civil Society Organizations and the Blueprint Group. The proposed amendments to the Criminal Code are equally bad, if not worse than the previous ones; they create legal uncertainty and a risk of institutional confusion during the transitional period, as well as the risk of future amnesty, the legal community reacts, after many months of waiting and deliberation, when nine members of parliament from the ruling party which had sharply criticized the scandalous 2023 amendments submitted their own proposals to the Assembly.
Different standards in the interviews of candidates for judge in Strasbourg – NGOs that monitored the interview phase of the candidates for a Macedonian judge at the court in Strasbourg note shortcomings in the methodology and transparency of the process, conflicts of interest, and strong doubts about compliance with the Council of Europe’s standards for a transparent and impartial selection. The President of the Commission, Darko Kostadinovski, only partially agrees with the report. A candidate for judge of North Macedonia at the European Court of Human Rights read most of his answers from a notebook during the interview before the Selection Commission, representatives of the network of non-governmental organizations—the Blueprint Group for Judicial Reform—testify, after being given the opportunity to monitor the only phase of the selection process, namely the interviews with the candidates. This move raises suspicions for them that the candidate had prepared answers, since he had also been involved in the previous procedure that was annulled by the Government.
An audit revealed serious irregularities in the operations of the Fund for Innovations and Technology Development (FITD) – conflict of interest and €13.9 million in unpaid liabilities – The State Audit Office identified serious weaknesses in the financial operations of the Innovation and Technological Development Fund for 2024. The audit shows that FITD has not established a centralized database to track the financial support granted, nor a system for evaluating the results of completed projects. At the end of the year, the Fund also reported outstanding liabilities of nearly €13.9 million, and some of the obligations had not been recorded in a timely manner. In addition to financial irregularities, the audit also pointed to weaknesses in the management of public calls and in the allocation of experts for project evaluation. Without cash receipts and without cash ledger records – the Financial Police are investigating the State Lottery based on parts of the audit report – Part of the audit report indicating serious cash irregularities is under investigation hundreds of thousands of euros in daily turnover without deposits into accounts, without cash receipts, and without cash ledger records. In 2024, according to the auditors, there was an achieved daily turnover of around €750,000. They found that these funds, which the Lottery collects in cash, were not deposited into any of its bank accounts, even though by law this should have been done no later than one day after receiving the payments. The auditors also determined that there are no cash receipts for the cash taken from players of games of chance, nor is there a practice of keeping a separate cash ledger for each day in which turnover is generated. The State Audit Office identified irregularities in the operations of the Ministry of Economy and Labour – misdemeanor cases and more than €2 million not paid into the Budget – The State Audit Office found serious irregularities in the operations of the Ministry of Economy and Labour for 2024, including time-barred misdemeanor cases and unpaid funds to the state budget totaling more than €2 million. Due to the statute of limitations, more than 1,500 decisions were issued to terminate proceedings, which directly affected reduced budget revenues. In addition, the auditors’ report identified shortcomings in public procurement and in the process of issuing licenses and categorizing hospitality establishments, carried out without full controls and timely inspection oversight.
The institution responsible for overseeing the exercise of citizens’ legal rights is in collapse! – One of the key institutions the Ombudsman, which is tasked with safeguarding the constitutional and legal rights of citizens is on the brink of collapse and dysfunction. Instead of caring for and raising alarms about the protection of human freedoms and rights, employees of this institution have been put in a position to warn that the Assembly, as the most responsible body, has for a long time been unable to elect a new Ombudsman. Deputy Ombudsman Ilber Rufati says that all parties have been informed of the situation, from the President of the state to diplomatic representations in the country and foreign missions. The lack of consensus for voting under the Badinter principle, which is necessary for the appointment to the position, is among the key problems, leading employees of the Ombudsman’s Office to question whether the state needs such an institution at all.
Over €90 million for sick leave; the Health Insurance Fund has detected abuses, with the public sector having the most suspicious cases – More than €90 million has so far been paid out by the Health Insurance Fund for sick leave longer than 30 days. The Health Insurance Fund has also identified abuses. Part of this amount is for those who went on maternity leave, while the rest of the funds are for those who opened sick leave due to other illnesses. The Fund claims it has also received requests from institutions to carry out inspections, due to cases where individuals have been on sick leave for months and are not going to work. A record number of requests for inspections came from the Ministry of Interior.
Shtip, Kichevo, Struga, and half of Skopje’s mayors have not submitted asset declarations – Thirty-five former and 19 newly elected mayors failed to submit declarations of assets and interests following the local elections held at the end of October and the beginning of November, the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption has established. However, some names appear on both lists, as they are incumbents re-elected to office. Others submitted declarations as new officials but did not submit them as former ones. Among the most high-profile names who failed to submit an asset declaration are the former Mayor of Skopje, Danela Arsovska, as well as the new Mayor, Orce Gjorgjievski. He is obliged to declare both as the former mayor of Kisela Voda and as the new mayor of Skopje.
Two companies have dominated healthcare tenders for an entire decade, a study by the Center for Civil Communications shows – According to the analysis, these companies have significant influence over the market, making it difficult for new bidders to enter. The analysis shows that the total value of public procurement in healthcare more than doubled from about €135 million in 2015 to nearly €293 million in 2024. In contrast, the number of companies awarded contracts increased by only 12 percent, indicating that the growth in funding did not lead to greater competition. The research shows that an increasing share of public money is being concentrated among a small number of suppliers. In 2024, the ten largest companies received about 49 percent of the total value of healthcare contracts. According to the authors of the analysis, this level of concentration is an indicator of limited competition and increased corruption risk.
“LIGHT” OCCURRENCES FOR DECEMBER 2025
The Administrative Court establishes a digital connection with all institutions for a more efficient judiciary – The Administrative Court of the Republic of North Macedonia marked a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the judiciary with the launch of a new, innovative software system. This technological solution is designed to establish a digital connection with all public institutions, as well as with the Higher Administrative Court, directly contributing to a more efficient and faster functioning of the judicial system. The innovation represents an important step toward the modernization of administrative justice, ensuring more transparent and faster exchange of documents and data between institutions, which will directly improve services for both citizens and legal entities.
The Skopje Public Prosecutor’s Office filed indictment against the former director of ‘Communal Hygiene’ and the Waste Management Manager for endangering the environment – The public prosecutor proposed that the detention of both defendants be replaced with precautionary measures, as the evidence-gathering phase has been completed and they have no possibility of influencing the proceedings. For the Waste Management Manager, who is still employed by the company, an additional measure was proposed, namely temporary removal from the workplace. The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje filed an indictment against the former director of the Public Enterprise ‘Communal Hygiene’ and the manager of the Waste Management Sector at the Skopje municipal enterprise, alleging that, as co-perpetrators, they committed the criminal offense of endangering the environment and nature through waste.
Albanian resident arrested after leaving money at the Qafasan border office bribery at the border – On December 27, 2025, around 14:30, at the Qafasan border crossing, police officers arrested V.K. (41) from the Republic of Albania. During border and passport checks, he offered a bribe to a police officer by leaving money through the window of the border office booth. He was taken to the police station, and after the case is fully documented, an appropriate report will be filed against him. A 53-year-old man arrested at Qafasan for giving a bribe – On December 21, 2025, around 09:10, at the Qafasan border crossing, police officers arrested E.K. (53) from the Republic of Albania. During passport and border control, he gave a bribe to a police officer by leaving money on the desk, after which he was taken into custody.
