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 AUGUST 2026
67 Prosecutors missing, three cities have none at all – Annual Reports of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Council of Public Prosecutors for 2025 – The Public Prosecutor’s Office operated in 2025 with 67 fewer prosecutors than provided for in the staffing plan, and despite an increase in personnel of nearly 10 percent during the year, the results in terms of case clearance and timeliness did not improve. This is shown by the annual reports of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Council of Public Prosecutors, which were presented to the Parliamentary Committee on the Political System. The situation is most alarming in some of the smaller prosecutor’s offices. Berovo, Delchevo and Sveti Nikole have operated for several years without a head public prosecutor, while in some of them there was only one prosecutor working. Academy without students, judiciary without judges — Ninth generation collapses, no new one – Analyses show that both judges and prosecutors are also in short supply, but there is still no funding for new candidates. The new director of the Academy, Irina Trajkoska-Strezoski, says that legislative amendments are still pending, while the European Commission forecasts that there will be no new judges or prosecutors before 2028. The Academy, which was established to train judges and prosecutors as a mandatory filter for future members of the judiciary, has been without students since the beginning of 2025.
Millions for political parties, State Commission for Prevention of Corruption warns of risks – The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption has identified corruption-related regulatory risks in several provisions of the Law on Financing Political Parties. The review was conducted at the Commission’s own initiative and in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Plan for reviewing legislation for 2026. The Commission proposes a review of Article 10 of the Law, which regulates the allocation of funds for financing political parties provided from the state budget. This article has frequently been criticized by the public and regulatory bodies. It stipulates that “30% of the funds for financing political parties provided from the Budget shall be distributed equally among all political parties that have won at least 1% of the total number of votes cast by voters in the most recent elections.” It also stipulates that 70% of the funds for financing political parties provided from the Budget shall be distributed among political parties whose candidates were elected as members of Parliament in the most recent parliamentary elections, in proportion to the number of elected MPs, as well as among political parties whose candidates were elected as municipal councilors in the most recent local elections, in proportion to the number of elected councilors.
Student Dormitory “Pelagonia” purchased a €23,000 kitchen that is nowhere to be found, bought food at inflated prices – Higher-than-market prices, the use of funds for private purposes, servicing a dishwasher that is out of use, and the unnecessary purchase of mattresses are among the findings raised by auditors. The State Audit Office reported that the state student dormitory “Pelagonia” in Skopje had inadequate internal controls and weaknesses in public procurement, including purchases at prices higher than market rates and procurements without sufficient justification, as well as payments made without adequate supporting documentation. These practices, the auditors found, resulted in the inappropriate use of public funds.
94 officials fined €300 each for failing to declare their assets – On July 29, the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption imposed 94 fines of €300 each on elected and appointed officials who failed to submit a statement of assets and interests within the legally prescribed deadline. The total value of the fines amounts to €28,200. Those fined include former mayors, directors of public enterprises, municipal councilors, directors of public institutions, members of management and supervisory boards, judges, and other elected and appointed officials.
“LIGHT” OCCURRENCES FOR AUGUST 2026
Charges filed over abuses at Joint Stock Company “State Lottery” – The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje has filed an indictment against a total of eight individuals as co-perpetrators of the criminal offense of Abuse of Official Position and Authority under Article 353, paragraph 5, in connection with paragraphs 4 and 1 of the Criminal Code. During 2023 and 2024, the defendants jointly took actions that exceeded the limits of their specific powers and duties, with the intention of causing damage to the injured legal entity, the Joint Stock Company for Organizing Games of Chance “State Lottery of the Republic of North Macedonia,” amounting to a significant value of 507,632,173 denars. They were aware that the Joint Stock Company for Organizing Games of Chance “State Lottery of the Republic of North Macedonia” did not have the right to organize electronic games of chance on video lottery terminals in the territory of the country, because in 2013 it had contributed this right as a non-cash contribution, valued at €6,244,898, when establishing the Joint Stock Company for Organizing Games of Chance “State Video Lottery of the Republic of Macedonia – Casinos Austria” LLC Skopje, thereby acquiring a 51% stake in the company’s share capital. Despite this, on May 9, 2023, the first defendant, the General Director and President of the Management Board of “State Lottery,” submitted to the third defendant, the Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, an Information on the Need to Undertake Activities for Independently Organizing Electronic Games of Chance.
Kriminal.mk turns police bulletins into easy-to-understand data – Kriminal.mk is an aggregator of crime data in North Macedonia. The data is collected from the Ministry of Interior, with the main source being the daily bulletin of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia. The bulletins are updated daily, after which the data is processed and presented in an easy-to-understand graphical overview of crime in North Macedonia. This visual presentation is the main benefit that users gain from Kriminal.mk. In addition to these aggregated figures, Kriminal.mk offers excellent functionality through a range of additional filters. Besides time period and location, the platform also includes a status filter that allows incidents to be categorized by injured, deceased, and arrested persons. The Kriminal platform was created by Tehnika.mk, with the aim of increasing public awareness of crime in North Macedonia.
