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 government’s willingness to address this issue.
“BLEAK” OCCURRENCES FOR MAY 2026
A court president and a court administrator allegedly requested and accepted a bribe of €8,000 in order to influence judicial proceedings – The court president and the court administrator are suspected of soliciting and receiving €8,000 in bribes to influence a judge in a Basic Court and judges in a Court of Appeal in connection with a civil dispute involving the individual from whom they received the money. For a payment of €5,000, they allegedly promised to intervene with a judge at the Basic Court in Gostivar to issue a decision reopening proceedings in a case that had previously resulted in a rejected claim. After failing to achieve this outcome, they allegedly requested an additional €3,000 to influence judges at the Gostivar Court of Appeal to overturn the decision that had denied the reopening of the proceedings.
The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption announced that the competent prosecutor has issued an order to initiate an investigation against the two individuals. They are suspected, as co-perpetrators, of having committed the criminal offense of accepting a reward for unlawful influence.
Former directors at TPP Negotino received both salaries and severance payments – The State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption has filed a report with the Public Prosecutor’s Office against former members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board of TPP Negotino, who were simultaneously assigned to director positions within the company’s organizational units. “Following the status change and merger of TPP Negotino JSC into ESM JSC–Skopje, these individuals remained employed by the company after their terms as Management Board members had ended. This was unlawful, as employment in state-owned commercial companies can only be obtained through a public vacancy announcement. The justification for such employment was based on management contracts, which allegedly allowed them to choose whether to remain employed in the company or return to their previous positions held before their appointment. Furthermore, according to the report, these individuals received severance payments based on their management contracts in an amount equal to 12 full salaries. These payments represented additional income on top of the regular salary they were already receiving. In other words, as employees of the company, they received their regular monthly salary as well as an additional salary payment under the management contracts.”
The State Audit Office identified weaknesses in the operations of the Ministry for European Affairs – The State Audit Office identified several weaknesses in the operations of the Ministry for European Affairs, including insufficient efficiency in the implementation of reform activities, problems in the planning and monitoring of European policies, as well as shortcomings in coordination and performance measurement. According to the State Audit Office’s audit report, the Ministry has not established a fully functional system for monitoring the implementation of reforms related to the European integration process. Auditors noted the absence of clear indicators for measuring the success and impact of certain activities. The audit also identified weaknesses in strategic planning, as well as risks of inefficient use of resources in coordinating processes related to European integration. Audit of Ilinden Municipality: construction of certain capital projects carried out without required permits and proper construction documentation The Municipality of Ilinden failed to properly record its assets and did not undertake activities to register ownership rights. The construction of local roads and streets was carried out without building permits, the reconstruction of infrastructure facilities was conducted without project documentation, and the allocation of funds for culture and sports was not performed in a transparent manner. These findings were reported by the State Audit Office (SAO) following an audit of the Municipality of Ilinden’s financial statements and compliance operations for 2024. According to the SAO, the audit identified conditions indicating irregularities and non-compliance in the municipality’s operations.
Citizens filed the most complaints in 2025 against bailiffs and the judiciary – The Parliamentary Committee on Political System reviewed the Annual Report of the Ombudsman on the level of respect, promotion, and protection of human rights and freedoms for 2025. According to the Annual Report, citizens in 2025 most frequently submitted complaints regarding the work of bailiffs (enforcement officers) and the judiciary in general. In this area, the majority of complaints concerned requests for the unblocking of bank accounts, the level of interest and costs charged by bailiffs, as well as problems arising from account blockages imposed by multiple bailiffs. With regard to the judiciary, most complaints related to violations of the principle of a trial within a reasonable time. The report also notes that the Ombudsman’s Office operated for six months during the past year without a head of the institution. Despite this, the Office continued to process and work on all complaints received from citizens.
“LIGHT” OCCURRENCES FOR MAY 2026
Financial Police uncover alleged corruption in the Agency for management of seized assets: tender for scrap metal worth 2 million denars allegedly rigged – The Financial Police Administration has filed a criminal complaint with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje against two company managers and five employees of the Agency for Management of Seized Assets. They are suspected of abuse of a public procurement procedure related to the sale of damaged vehicles as scrap metal. According to the complaint, the two company managers, acting with prior intent in 2021, violated the regulations governing the public bidding process. During the procedure, one legal entity was presented as a formal competitor, but with an intentionally introduced technical error in its bid, with the aim of preventing other participants from effectively competing in the auction. Members of the Agency’s evaluation commission allegedly knowingly assisted in implementing this scheme. “In this manner, the conclusion of a contract for the sale of seized damaged vehicles between the Agency and the legal entity was enabled, whereby the company obtained unlawful financial gain amounting to 2,128,352 denars,” the Financial Police stated.
Bus tour guide detained in the Kriva Palanka region for alleged bribery – On May 24, 2026, at 6:30 a.m., police officers from the Mobile Unit for Compensatory Measures within the Border Affairs and Migration Department stopped a Mercedes bus with Kosovo license plates in the jurisdiction of the Kriva Palanka Police Department, part of the Kumanovo Regional Police Directorate. During the inspection, it was established that the bus was being driven by a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye. A Kosovo citizen, who was acting as a tour guide on the bus, presented a travel document for identification purposes. A €50 banknote was found inside the document. The individual was deprived of liberty on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of “giving a bribe” under Article 358, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code and was taken to the Kriva Palanka Police Station for further proceedings, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Financial Police file criminal complaint against the mayor of Vrapchishte Municipality – The Financial Police Administration has filed a criminal complaint with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Gostivar against the Mayor of Vrapchishte Municipality on grounds of suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of “Abuse of Official Position and Authority” under Article 353, Paragraph 3 in conjunction with Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of North Macedonia. “During 2025, the reported individual exceeded the limits of his official authority and acted contrary to Article 157, Paragraph 1 of the Public Procurement Law (Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia No. 24/2019 of February 1, 2019). Specifically, he concluded a contract for procurement of works—the reconstruction of a local road in Dobri Dol, from the village center to the intersection with the service road alongside State Road A2 on the Tetovo–Gostivar section (Contract No. 0507-219/17 dated April 3, 2025)—with the selected economic operator without waiting for the final decision on an appeal submitted to the State Commission for Public Procurement Appeals, which subsequently annulled the selection decision,” the Financial Police stated in its announcement. According to the complaint, the contract was signed before the completion of the appeals procedure, despite the fact that the procurement decision was later overturned by the competent appeals authority.
