CORRUPTION BAROMETER FOR AUGUST 2024
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 institutions, and over time, it has evolved into a relevant alternative barometer for measuring corruption and assessing the government’s willingness to address this issue.
“DARK” OCCURRENCES FOR AUGUST 2024
Quod licet lovi, non licet bovi
Supreme judge Nake Georgiev reached a plea agreement with the Prosecution, and accepted a three-year prison sentence for a bribe of 15.000 euros – Supreme judge Nake Georgiev reached a plea agreement with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the prosecution of organized crime and corruption about the case of taking a bribe from the son of the former mayor of Municipality Novo Selo, Boro Stojchev. He accepted a three-year prison sentence, as well as a ban from practicing any profession, activity, or official duty for three years. In the same case, a plea agreement was also reached by a member of the Public Prosecutor’s Council, Idzet Memeti, who received a one-year suspended prison sentence and the same ban from practicing any profession, activity, or official duty for three years.
Idzet Memeti pleaded guilty and reached a plea agreement with the Prosecution – Member of the Public Prosecutor’s Council and former Ombudsman, Idzet Memeti, pleaded guilty to receiving a reward for unlawful influence and reached a plea agreement with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the prosecution of organized crime and corruption for a suspended sentence. Memeti also received a ban from practicing his profession for the next three years. He submitted an irrevocable resignation as a member of the Public Prosecutor’s Council to the Parliament.
Reaction: The platform of civil society organizations for fighting corruption demands the restoration of the “Open Finance” portal – The platform of Civil Society Organizations for fighting Corruption strongly condemns the lack of public access to information from the Treasury and demands the immediate restoration of the “Open Finance” portal. The platform calls on the Ministry of Finance to ensure uninterrupted access, continuous and timely updating of data on the portal, and their availability in an open format, as has been the practice so far. The “Open Finance” portal, which publishes data on the transaction of all budget users of the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia, was last updated on June 17, 2024. According to the commitments undertaken within the Open Government Partnership and the previous practice, the data on the portal is updated twice a month, meaning that for more than two months, the portal has not been performing its function.
The service offered by TIME.MK news aggregator, where all contracts or tenders signed by state and public institutions could be monitored, no longer exists after 12 years – The Public Procurement Bureau shut it down, allegedly because it was overloading their website. According to the founder of TIME.MK, Igor Trajkovski, the reason given by the Public Procurement Bureau was that “Such access was overloading the site and preventing registered users from using it normally. They were instructed to download the data manually or redirect interested users to their website.
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption with tied hands: 826 institutions without submitted information, including 10 ministries – The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) is facing serious challenges in maintaining transparency and accountability in the 2024 election process. In its latest report, the SCPC warns that due to legal gaps in the regulatory framework, the Commission cannot initiate misdemeanor proceedings against those who do not submit the required data. What is most concerning is the fact that as many as 826 institutions have not provided the necessary information, including 10 ministries. This indicates a serious lack of transparency and can be interpreted as an attempt to conceal potential irregularities. The Electoral Code is also criticized in the report. The SCPC points out weaknesses in the legal and administrative framework, which create risks for corruption.
“LIGHT” OCCURRENCES FOR AUGUST 2024
Criminal charges for abuse of official position against the acting director of Public utility Company “Gazi Baba 2007” – The Ministry of Internal Affairs filed criminal charges against V.M. (31) on reasonable suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Article 353 of the Criminal Code-“Abuse of official position and authority.” In 2021, by failing to perform his official duties as the acting director of the Public Utility Company “Gazi Baba 2007” Skopje, he caused damage to the budget of the Municipality of Gazi Baba for 1,218,00 denars.
Bus driver from Tetovo detained for offering a bribe – At the Romanovce toll station heading towards Skopje, police officers from the Mobile Unit for Compensatory Measures of the Department for Border Affairs and Migration stopped a bus with Tetovo license plates, owned by a legal entity from Tetovo, driven by A.S. from Tetovo. During the control and inspection of the bus, the driver offered money to the police officer to stop the inspection and control, after which he was immediately detained on suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Article 353 of the Criminal Code. In coordination with the public prosecutor, appropriate charges will be filed against him.
Online platform for combating corruption in the urban planning process presented-Citizens can familiarize themselves with the basics of urban plans on the online platform of the O2 Initiative through informative videos, infographics and examples of specific cases of corruption in urban planning. The platform also provides examples of what, where and how to report and submit a complaint, initiative, request, or appeal, as well as the steps that can be taken afterward. On the platform, citizens can also directly report corruption and get information on how to take active measures.
Corruption Barometer, August 2024
