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 & Bleak”
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 institutions willingness to address this issue.
“BLEAK” OCCURRENCES FOR JULY 2026
European Commission Rule of Law Report: Reforms on paper, stagnation in practice – The recurring pattern throughout the report is not one of overt backsliding, but of stagnation disguised as reform. Public trust in judicial independence declined even further this year, with only 21% of citizens and 19% of businesses considering the courts to be independent, down significantly from 28% and 26% respectively last year. The Commission directly identifies “interference and pressure from other branches of government” as the main reason, noting that elected officials and government representatives have intensified personal attacks against judges and prosecutors, accusing them of corruption, while senior government officials have publicly called for a “clean-up” of the judiciary. The European Commission concludes that the judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office continue to operate with a budget that is less than half of the legally prescribed minimum, just 0.28% of GDP compared to the required 0.8%. Even more concerning is the absence of the next generation of judges: the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors cancelled the admission of 130 new candidates due to a lack of funding, meaning the country will not appoint a single new judge or prosecutor before 2028. The situation in the fight against corruption is similarly troubling. Implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy remains weak, with only 23% of the planned activities for 2025 having been fully implemented. The amended Criminal Code, adopted as a temporary solution following the controversial 2023 amendments, is assessed by the European Commission as insufficient. It introduces reduced penalties for more serious forms of abuse of office, which directly shortens the statute of limitations and leaves less time for investigating complex corruption cases. The result is what the report describes as a growing sense of impunity: high-profile corruption cases rarely end with final, legally binding convictions.
The Gostivar water contamination case points to possible systemic weaknesses, says the Blueprint group for judicial reform – The Blueprint Group for Judicial Reform has described the water contamination case in Gostivar as a serious indicator of potential systemic weaknesses. “The manner in which the institutions acted or may have failed to act, raises serious questions about institutional accountability and whether the legal obligations to protect public health were fulfilled. These issues should be the subject of a thorough and independent investigation,” the coalition of civil society organizations said in a statement. According to the Blueprint Group, particularly serious concerns also arise regarding the functioning of the system for monitoring the quality of drinking water. The contamination of the municipal water supply in Gostivar is not an isolated incident but a serious indication of possible systemic shortcomings, the Blueprint Group for Judicial Reform concluded.
“Talir 2” and “Total”: It was not the court that cleared them—time became the best defense lawyer for high-level corruption – In the span of just two days, the public witnessed two decisions in the Talir 2 and Total cases that once again brought the most painful issue facing North Macedonia’s justice system into focus, the expiration of statutory limitation periods in high-level corruption cases. First, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision to terminate criminal proceedings in the Talir 2 case due to the expiration of the absolute statute of limitations. Just one day later, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office withdrew the indictment in the Total tax evasion case, while part of the charges was also found to be time-barred. An individual case becoming time-barred does not necessarily indicate a systemic problem. However, when, over the years, multiple high-profile cases of significant public interest end without a final judicial resolution because statutory deadlines have expired, it inevitably raises the question of whether this reflects a recurring institutional pattern. Today, therefore, the key question is no longer whether someone is guilty or innocent. The real question is whether the state is capable of determining potential criminal liability before time runs out.
Access to information: No digital signature, no appeal – If a citizen requests information from a public institution and the request is denied or goes unanswered, they have the right to file an appeal with the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, the only body responsible for safeguarding this right. Until recently, the simplest and fastest way to submit an appeal was by email. However, as of a few weeks ago, any appeal sent by email must be signed with a qualified electronic signature, which costs between 2,000 and 4,000 denars per year. In other words, anyone wishing to file an appeal must either purchase an electronic signature to validate the submission or send it by post and pay the associated mailing costs. According to BIRN’s interlocutors, this creates an unnecessary barrier to accessing public information and undermines the constitutionally guaranteed right of free access to information.
State Audit Office: Weaknesses identified in the management and public procurement practices of the Clinic for thoracic and vascular surgery in 2024 – The State Audit Office identified weaknesses in inventory management, public procurement procedures, and the collection of receivables at the Clinic for thoracic and vascular surgery during its 2024 audit. The auditors also found that the Clinic faced significant operational strain due to the high number of emergency examinations and procedures. From discriminatory allocation of funds to bid rigging and fictitious payments: State Audit Office Issues its harshest opinion on the Employment Agency – The Employment Agency received the State Audit Office’s most severe assessment (an adverse opinion) for its 2024 operations. In its latest audit report, the SAO identified a series of systemic irregularities, including suspected favoritism toward a particular lawyer, discrimination in the allocation of self-employment grants across planning regions, inefficient spending of millions on training programmes, bid rigging in public procurement procedures, payment of allowances for meetings that were never held, deliberate breaches of financial control legislation, and payments made below the statutory minimum. “Communal Hygiene” sinks into debt with 113 non-operational vehicles while spending millions on recruitment through a private employment agency – An audit found that around 60% of the company’s specialised municipal service vehicles are out of operation. Of a total fleet of 189 vehicles, only 76 are operational, while 80 are defective and 33 are beyond repair. The average age of the fleet is 15 years, which, according to the auditors, significantly reduces the company’s ability to provide efficient municipal waste collection and maintain the city’s cleanliness. Audit identifies persistent irregularities in the Health Insurance Fund – The audit of the Health Insurance Fund found that significant shortcomings remain in several key areas, including the effectiveness of monitoring medical treatment abroad, the financing and purchasing of services from public healthcare institutions, the updating of reference prices for healthcare services, and the revision of the list of medicines covered by the Fund. Audit: “Parking of the Municipality of Centar” owes 86 million denars – The State Audit Office identified a number of irregularities in the 2024 operations of the Public Enterprise Parking of the Municipality of Centar – Skopje. Among the key findings are 86 million denars in unpaid municipal fees owed to the Municipality of Centar’s budget and 20 million denars in time-barred receivables. The audit also revealed weaknesses in financial management, the recording of equipment and fixed assets, cash-handling procedures, and public procurement processes. State Audit Office: Regulatory gaps, staff shortages, and limited action weaken the fiscal capacity of Local Governments – Deficiencies in the legal framework, insufficient human resources, and inadequate fiscal effort significantly limit the fiscal capacity of local self-government units, according to the performance audit conducted by the State Audit Office covering the 2020–2024 period. The audit concludes that these shortcomings reduce the ability of municipalities to strengthen their financial sustainability and effectively perform their legally mandated responsibilities.
Judicial Council unlawfully appoints acting court presidents, says the “All for Fair Trials” Coalition – The All for Fair Trials Coalition has raised concerns over the Judicial Council’s decision, to appoint acting presidents of the Skopje Court of Appeal and the Basic Court in Struga. In its statement, the Coalition argues that the Judicial Council directly violated the provisions of Article 89 of the Law on Courts, which require that the position of acting court president be assigned to the judge who has received the highest positive performance evaluation and the greatest number of points. The Coalition further maintains that this objective legal criterion does not allow the Judicial Council discretionary choice among positively evaluated judges, nor does it permit the introduction of subjective considerations such as managerial experience or personal assessment.
“LIGHT OCURRENCES FOR JULY 2026
Active reporting of irregularities and cooperation with institutions can increase accountability for corruption offences
Director of the State Inspectorate for Agriculture indicted for allegedly soliciting €100,000 bribe over fertiliser imports – The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organised Crime and Corruption has announced that it has filed an indictment with the Basic Criminal Court Skopje against the Director of the State Inspectorate for Agriculture, charging him with the criminal offence of accepting a bribe. According to the prosecution, the director allegedly demanded €100,000 in exchange for approving the import of artificial fertiliser and ensuring that future imports would proceed without obstruction. The indictment states that, in March this year, while serving as Director of the State Inspectorate for Agriculture, he “requested and obtained substantial financial benefit for himself in order to perform an official act that he was not legally authorised to perform.”
Two dentists arrested on corruption charges, one was Chamber President, the other headed an Examination Committee – The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organised Crime and Corruption has opened an investigation against two dentists suspected of accepting bribes from a person under investigation in the so-called “Botox” case. One of the suspects was the president of the Examination Committee for the professional licensing exam, while the other was the president of the Albanian Dental Association. The payment was made through a bank account, but the Prosecutor’s Office has not disclosed the amount involved. The evidence was obtained from mobile phones seized as part of another investigation into an organised criminal group involved in the illegal import, distribution, and application of medicines and medical devices, in the case known as “Botox.”
Employment Agency official in Prilep arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes – An employee of the Employment Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia allegedly spent months blackmailing a social assistance beneficiary, demanding money in exchange for not terminating his right to receive financial support. Police officers in Prilep arrested an employee of the local Employment Agency on reasonable suspicion of committing the criminal offence of accepting a bribe, the Ministry of Interior announced. According to the Ministry, the suspect abused his official position to the detriment of a 47-year-old unemployed citizen who receives social assistance. Between April and July, the suspect allegedly repeatedly demanded and accepted bribes from the victim. The alleged extortion followed after the victim had previously refused a job offer at a factory in Bitola solely due to a deteriorating health condition. The suspect allegedly used this circumstance to pressure the citizen, promising not to terminate his social assistance payments as long as he continued making payments.
Assistant Professor allegedly demanded 300€ to give student a passing grade — instructed him where to leave the money The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Shtip has issued an order to open an investigation against a 38-year-old woman from Kochani suspected of committing the criminal offence of accepting a bribe under Article 357, paragraph 6 in connection with paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The suspect, as a person performing work of public interest an assistant professor at Goce Delchev University, allegedly directly requested a personal benefit in the form of money in exchange for carrying out an action that she was not authorised to perform. According to the prosecution, on 16 June, after a student failed to demonstrate sufficient knowledge to pass an exam, she did not enter a failing grade in either the student’s record book or the electronic system. Instead, she allegedly demanded 300€ in exchange for entering a passing grade of six, which would allow the student to pass the exam. On 29 June, in her office, she allegedly received the money from the student after instructing him to leave it on a side table between a script and a sheet of white paper. She then entered a passing grade in the student’s record book.
