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 SEPTEMBER 2026
Government driver arrested for accepting bribe to help skopje resident get hired as firefighter, PPO for Organized crime and corruption says – The proceedings were initiated following a report filed by a citizen from whom the suspect, between July 24 and September 4, 2026, requested €1,500 in order to use his presumed influence. The suspect, who worked as the driver of a senior government official, promised the injured party that he would mediate with officials in the City of Skopje in connection with employment following a public call for the recruitment of firefighters. Following the report, the competent authorities, in coordination with the prosecutor handling the case, took measures to secure evidence. On September 4, 2026, the suspect was caught in the act of handing over €500, as part of the requested €1,500 payment, which had previously been marked.
Judicial Council warns of staff shortages as courts deemed inefficient, with 149,415 unresolved cases – At the national level, the courts failed to keep pace with the influx of new cases during the second quarter and increased the backlog by 2,127 cases, it was concluded at a session of the Judicial Council, which adopted the quarterly reports on the work of the courts for the period from April to June 2026. According to the reports, the courts began the second quarter with 147,288 unresolved cases, received 121,909 new cases, and had a total of 269,197 cases pending. Of these, 119,782 were resolved, while 149,415 cases remained unresolved at the end of the period. The performance of the courts at the national level was assessed as inefficient, while the shortage of court staff was once again identified as one of the key problems. As many as 70 court cases became time-barred following the controversial 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code – Statistics from the Criminal Court on time-barred cases over the past five years illustrate the harmful consequences that followed the controversial amendments to the Criminal Code in 2023.The amendments drastically reduced the penalties for “Abuse of Official Position and Authority,” resulting in the expiration of the statute of limitations for dozens of cases involving former or current public officials. According to Criminal Court statistics, in 2022, before the legal amendments, there were 16 time-barred cases. The following year, when the amendments were adopted, as well as the year after that, there was a noticeable increase in cases that became time-barred. In 2023, 18 cases became time-barred; in 2024, 26; last year, 20; and this year, 6. A large number of these cases became time-barred precisely because of the amendments to the Criminal Code.
State Audit Office: Increased disaster risks, but insufficient preparedness of the protection and rescue system – Amid increased exposure to disaster risks, particularly wildfires, floods, and extreme weather conditions, North Macedonia’s protection and rescue system does not always have the necessary strategic, institutional, and operational preparedness to respond effectively, the State Audit Office concluded. In its performance audit titled “Building a Crisis Management, Protection and Rescue System through Investments in Equipment and Resources and Maintenance of Assets, with the Aim of Increasing Operational Capacity, Efficiency and Effectiveness,” auditors identified weaknesses in strategic planning, coordination, and resource management, insufficient human and material capacities, as well as limited investment in modernization and equipment. Audit: Solar PV Boom Exposes Weaknesses in Permitting System – While North Macedonia is experiencing record growth in solar power generation and an unprecedented surge in investment in photovoltaic facilities, the State Audit Office warns that institutions have failed to establish an efficient, coordinated, and fully compliant permitting system. In its final performance audit report, published in July 2026, auditors identified serious systemic weaknesses, inadequate coordination among institutions, insufficient oversight, and instances of unlawful conduct in the approval of photovoltaic power plant projects. The report comes at a time when the energy transition is accelerating and solar power is playing an increasingly important role in North Macedonia’s domestic energy mix. State Audit Office: Weaknesses identified in public procurement at esm – limited competition, single-bid procedures, and changes to tender documentation – The State Audit Office identified a number of weaknesses in the planning, implementation, and execution of public procurement procedures at AD ESM – Skopje. The audit covered 27 procurement procedures under which obligations totaling approximately €143.6 million were undertaken in 2024. According to the auditors, the annual public procurement plan was prepared without adequate market research and an analytical approach to determining needs. The audit also identified specific cases of incomplete or inefficient use of the procured goods and resources. State Audit Office: Labor disputes cost the state €64 million over six years as lawsuits nearly triple – Over a six-year period, the state paid nearly €64.4 million as a result of court proceedings arising from labor disputes, according to a performance audit conducted by the State Audit Office. Nearly half of the total amount paid was not related to the principal debt, but to interest and the costs of litigation and enforcement proceedings. Market Inspectorate has just five employees overseeing product safety, while testing is funded by foreign projects, state audit office warns – The Product Safety Inspection Department at the State Market Inspectorate is operating with a critical staff shortage, while laboratory testing to verify the safety and compliance of goods on the domestic market relies almost entirely on foreign assistance, the State Audit Office found in its 2024 report. According to the report on the inspectorate’s operations, only five of the 14 positions planned for the department had been filled by the end of 2024, representing a systemic weakness in the consumer protection system.
Center for Civil Communications: Electric bus tender conducted three times over 15 months — lowest bid did not win – The Center for Civil Communications has published its study Public Oversight of Public Procurement: Case Studies (Issue No. 3). According to the study, the procurement procedure was conducted three times over a period of 15 months, with the participants, their prices, and their bids becoming known with each successive attempt. The Center notes that Hungary’s “Ikarus Electric” and China’s “Zhongtong Bus Holding” competed against each other in the second tender, while in the third they submitted a joint bid, which was selected as the most advantageous. The value of the procurement is €60 million, while the winning bid was not the lowest, after two cheaper bids were rejected. The Center assesses that the repeated tendering process, changes to the conditions, changes in the composition of bidders, and the lack of explanations for some of the amendments create an increased risk of favoritism and restrictions on competition.
More Than 70% of complaints to the Agency for free access to information concern institutional silence, report shows – Of the 623 complaints handled by the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information in 2025, as many as 438 nearly 70% concerned institutions’ failure to respond or their silence within the legally prescribed deadlines, Agency Director Petar Gajdov said while presenting the Agency’s 2025 Annual Report. According to the data presented, the largest number of complaints were filed by individuals, with a total of 344, followed by non-governmental organizations, associations, and foundations, which filed 194 complaints.
Entire Committee that proposed Sotirija Duvlis for associate professor of immunology fined €1,000 each by education inspectorate, while her appointment remains valid — University disputes findings – Associate Professor Sotirija Duvlis, who teaches immunology to medical students at Goce Delchev University in Shtip, was appointed as an “associate professor of immunology” with a PhD in the field of pharmacy. The review committee that nominated her for the position included only one immunologist, rather than the two required by law, according to the State Education Inspectorate’s report from an extraordinary inspection into her appointment. According to the report, the Inspectorate fined all members of the review committee €1,000 each for allegedly proposing a candidate who did not meet the required criteria. A €2,000 fine was also imposed on the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the university in connection with the appointment, according to the inspection report. However, Duvlis’s academic title of “associate professor of immunology” has not been revoked, and she continues to teach immunology to future doctors. The university disputes the findings.
LIGHT OCCURRENCES FOR SEPTEMBER 2026
Following a citizen’s report, Public Prosecutor’s Office for organized crime and corruption coordinates operation over suspected bribery and receiving a reward for unlawful influence – Acting on a report filed by a citizen, a public prosecutor from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption, in cooperation with police officers from the Department for Suppression of Organized and Serious Crime at the Ministry of Interior, carried out an operation in which a public official an assistant director of the Administrative and Technical Affairs Sector at the Customs Administration was detained. Based on the evidence collected so far, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the suspect committed the criminal offenses of Receiving a Bribe and Receiving a Reward for Unlawful Influence. Between April/May and September 2026, the suspect allegedly used his official position to request and receive money on several occasions, totaling €17,500. Of this amount, €7,500 was allegedly requested and received in connection with an already concluded public procurement contract for the needs of the Customs Administration, with the aim of ensuring that the contract continued to be implemented without obstacles and without the risk of termination.
Investigation opened into food inspector on suspicion of bribery – The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje has issued an order to conduct an investigation against one person on reasonable suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of Receiving a Bribe, under Article 357, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The 42-year-old suspect, an employee of the Food and Veterinary Agency who worked as a food inspector, allegedly requested and received a €250 bribe from the manager of a legal entity between September 17 and 25. In exchange, she allegedly agreed to prepare an inspection report stating that she had carried out an inspection and found no irregularities in the operation of the facility, i.e. that it complied with all the required operating procedures.
Two and a half years in prison for interior ministry employee who forged driver’s licenses after pleading guilty – Three defendants in the case involving the forgery of driver’s licenses pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison terms in expedited proceedings. The first defendant, an employee of the Ministry of Interior, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while the second and third defendants were each sentenced to one year and three months in prison. The detention measure was extended for all three defendants, officials said at a briefing at the Basic Criminal Court in Skopje.
