Central Election Commission published the lists of candidates for the general elections submitted by 17 Political Parties. The lists of political parties that are in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Code will be approved by the CEC no later than 5 May 2017. According to CEC, after 3 May it is legally and technically impossible to register other parties. The published list showed that the main opposition parties such as Democratic Party and its allies have not submitted their multi-name lists.

The 9th Subcommittee meeting on Justice, Freedom and Security between the EU and Albania took place in Brussels. Representatives from the European Commission and the Albanian authorities discussed the achievements and most recent developments in the area of rule of law. The European Commission welcomed the adoption of the legislative framework such as the juvenile justice code, as well as the adoption of the Action plan against cannabis cultivation and trafficking 2017-2020 and stressed the importance of creating the conditions for its effective implementation. The Commission emphasised in particular that the implementation of the justice reform, including the carrying out of the vetting process, is at the core of the Commission conditional recommendation for the opening of accession negotiations. Work towards establishing a solid track record of proactive investigations, prosecutions and final convictions in the fight against corruption and organised crime should be continued.

European Parliament negotiators Knut Fleckenstein and David McAllister fail to break the political stalemate. They have presented a platform to end the political crises, but the Opposition leader Mr Lulzim Basha has left the negotiations considering that his demands were not satisfied. He had requested a technical government, but this condition was rejected by the Prime minister Edi Rama.

Senior staffer of EU office in Armenia charged in embezzlement case. As part of the grant fraud case targeting employees of the EU Delegation to Armenia, the Investigative Committee has now brought criminal charges against a project manager. The Committee is collaborating with the EU mission and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to identify the amounts stolen and other possible accomplices, says an official press release. A department responsible for cases of special importance has filed a motion with the court to request the staffer’s detention. In a statement, the Committee said that another employee, Marine Papyan (reported to be a grants coordinator), was detained on suspicion of appropriating large sums. Thirteen individuals had been earlier detained in the criminal case.

JAE official abuses official position, a large amount of money embezzled. The official of the Ministry of Justice Compulsory Enforcement Service (JAE) using his official position appropriated and spent for personal needs a large amount of money subject to confiscation from the debtor following the compulsory enforcement process initiated by him. The official was indicted for embezzlement of a large amount of money by means of appropriation. The Special Investigation Service finalised the preliminary investigation and passed the case to the prosecutor carrying out procedural supervision to confirm and send it to the court.

Three persons, including two chief tax officials indicted for official position abuse and receiving a bribe. Following the finalisation of preliminary investigation, the Armenian Special Investigation Service sent the case together with the indictment to the prosecutor carrying out procedural supervision to confirm and refer it to the court.

Council of Europe provides Training-of-Trainers on Ethics in Public Service. The training took place from 17-19 April in the framework of the CoE/EU PCF Project on Strengthening Capacities to Fight and Prevent Corruption, and in cooperation with the State Examination Centre and the Commission on Combatting Corruption. During the three-day programme, 27 future trainers have been introduced to good practices in integrity planning, ethics in Human Resources Management and risk analysis.

Azerbaijan names new deputy head of Anti-Corruption Department. The head of the organisational and information department of the Anti-Corruption Department under Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General, Orkhan Isayev, has been relieved of his duty and appointed deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Department.

Combating corruption is key priority direction of state policy of Azerbaijan, a senior official of the Presidential Administration, Mr Fuad Aleskerov, has announced.  Strengthening transparency in state administration, the development of electronic services and fighting against corruption are the main priority directions of the state policy.

President Lukashenko: all socially significant detentions are authorised by the president.  That was the statement made by the President in his annual address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly. As an example, he referred to a recent large-scale detention in the capital in the corruption case related to provision of school meal. Fundamental principles in the fight against corruption remain, as before, unchanged. "This is equality of all before the law and the inevitability of responsibility regardless of the positions held and past merits. It is precisely these approaches that guide our law enforcement agencies that reveal the facts of corruption and suppress various corruption schemes”, the President recalled.

EU published a report on anti-corruption efforts in the Western Balkans. The report states that despite major national obstacles, such as complex political and institutional structures, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and lack of absorption capacities (lack of staff), there have been visible results. Most of the anti-corruption funding has gone to strengthening institutions, developing capacities (training), systems and tools (public procurement databases, codes of conduct), and awareness-raising.

Bulgaria Specialised Anti-Corruption Unit checks Sofia Airport information system. The Prosecutor General has received a signal that in February 2017 a private company was given full administrative rights /unlimited access/ to the information system of the airport at the request of the airport’s Executive Director. At the same time, a concession procedure concerning the airport was held. According to the signal, one of the former owners of the private company in question is currently a chief of cabinet of a minister.

European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova: Bulgaria and Romania on right track and not any worse than other member states. The European Commission published its 2017 EU Justice Scoreboard which gives a comparative overview of the efficiency, quality and independence of justice systems in the EU Member States. The figures for Bulgaria and Romania may be used as a good element when assessing the fulfilling of the measures and tasks in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). "In Bulgaria we want to see more reforms and better justice response against organized crime and money laundering, and more efficient action against corruption," Vera Jurova said.

Director of Anti-corruption Agency under State Security Service of Georgia held meeting with Deputy Head of National Anti-corruption Bureau of Kazakhstan. The parties discussed preventive measures and activities in an attempt to combat corruption implemented by Georgian Anti-corruption Agency under the SSG. Talks were held on corruption prevention and risks analysis.

Workshop on “Corruption-free Institutions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The workshop initiated by Georgia was held on 27 April 2017 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Together with Georgia, the event was co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica, Denmark, Qatar, Sierra Leone and Singapore to the United Natione, as well as the United Nations development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  Participants of the workshop underlined the important role of the corruption-free, effective, accountable and transparent institutions for sustainable development and for the realization of the 2030 Agenda.

Visegrad Group FMs Discuss Upcoming Brussels EaP Summit. Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze was in Warsaw on April 12 for the Ministerial Meeting on the Eastern Partnership bringing together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, as well as the representatives of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Malta, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the European External Action Service. The participants focused on cooperation with a view to the upcoming fifth Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels in November, 2017, as well as the future of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership initiative, more broadly.

Societies and non-profit organisations become subjects of the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism law. The Cabinet decided to include societies and non-profit organisations under the scope of the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism law.  This decision, taken pursuant article G/13 of the law, aims at better regulating the work of such organisations, in order to prevent their use for the purpose of terrorism or money laundering.

Parliamentarians refer 3 former Ministers of Agriculture to the Prosecution. The Lower House voted to refer three corruption cases involving three former Ministers of Agriculture to the Attorney General. These decisions were taken on the basis of the information provided by an Audit Bureau report covering the period between 2009 and 2015. Finally, several MPs called upon the government to ensure that the queries on corruption filed by lawmakers receive a reply. As of today, the government responded only to 3,947 parliamentary queries out of a total of 6,118 queries received.

The Assembly holds public hearing for the draft Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in Discharge of Public Functions. The public hearing was organised by the parliamentary Committee on Legislation, Mandates, Immunities, Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and Oversight of Anti-Corruption Agency with the participation of relevant public institutions, representatives of international organisations and civil society to discuss essential pending issues in relation to prevention of conflict of interest of public officials.

Kosovo* Anti-corruption Agency issued its 2016 Annual Report. The Report emphasises that during the reporting period (1 January – 31 December 2016) KAA addressed the highest number of criminal charges in comparison to the previous years. It highlights among other issues the necessity to review, amend and supplement the legal framework on combating and preventing corruption and conflict of interest as well as to review and change the internal structure of the Agency in organisational and operational aspects in accordance with the technical document on review of the institutional and operational framework of the KAA prepared by the Council of Europe expert under the joint EU/CoE Project against Economic Crime (PECK II).

According to 2017 Freedom House Nations in Transit Report, Kosovo* saw small improvements in the judiciary, independent media, and corruption in 2016. Its Democracy Score improved from 5.07 to 4.96, and its classification changed to Transitional / Hybrid Regime. Regarding the independence of the judiciary, constitutional and legal changes during the year targeted structural weaknesses and obstacles to judicial independence. The Judicial Council became slightly more independent due to constitutional changes that enable the majority of the body to be elected by peers, and the Prosecutorial Council gained full independence from the executive after the removal of the Minister of Justice from its membership. Kosovo* delivered partial results in the fight against corruption. The authorities processed a greater number of cases and treated more of them as a priority during the year. In June, a government minister resigned after being investigated for a corruption scheme in the health sector, while in April, police arrested a powerful MP for leading a criminal organisation.

Pro-Government Kyrgyzstan Lawmaker Charged with Corruption. Kyrgyzstan authorities charged a pro-government lawmaker for illegally transferring agricultural land into private hands and pocketing the money while acting as a regional governor. Muzaffar Isakov operated the illegal property-distribution scheme while head of the Tash-Bulak village administration between 2010 and 2015, authorities claim.

The Council of Europe provides anti-corruption training. A two-day training on “Ethics, conflict of interest resolution and corruption risk assessments” for central and local government officials involved in internal anti-corruption controls took place on 25-26 April 2017 in Bishkek. The training provided an opportunity for the participants to gain knowledge on anti-corruption tools, ethical standards and principles in public service, conflict of interest resolution, and corruption risk assessment. The international and European concepts and principles were discussed through the prism of the Kyrgyz practice and regulatory framework.

IMF praises Kyrgyzstan on economic indicators but warns about money laundering risks. The head of the IMF mission noted that the 2016 results exceeded expectations: the growth reached 3.8 percent and the inflation remained under control and even approached zero. However, it is urgent to adopt the new law on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism. The IMF believes that delays in its adoption could negatively affect the economy.

Recovering Moldova’s stolen billion in Europe’s shady banking. Moldovan central bank is preparing legal action to recover one billion dollars stolen from the currency reserves of the country’s three systemic banks. Moldova’s three banks collapsed at the end of 2014, leaving the government with little option but to bail them out. The country of 3,5 million people was in effect robbed of $1bn, which is about an eight of Moldova’s GDP.

EU ready to conditionally grant Moldova 100 mln Euro. The Committee on Budgets of the European Parliament approved the financial assistance plan for Moldova aimed to help the state to fund its current costs and to stabilize its economy. The European Commission will condition the funding for the Republic of Moldova on the results in fighting corruption and strengthening the rule of law. The final vote in the European Parliament on the proposal is scheduled to take place in May.

Moldova detains officials suspected of embezzling EU money. Prosecutors detained Transportation Minister Iurie Chirinciuc and the interim manager of Moldova's State Road Management, Veaceslav Teleman, after searching their offices and the offices of two private companies on suspicion of embezzling European Union funds.

The Agency for prevention of corruption held a workshop for private sector representatives who are appointed as contact persons for whistleblower reports. The Agency continued its activities to inform and raise awareness and knowledge on reporting information that may undermine public interest and contain signs of corruption, and on whistleblower protection. It was the fourth workshop on liability and measures, in accordance with the Law on prevention of corruption, undertaken following whistleblower reports. The participants were representatives of the companies that are large taxpayers - with a focus on companies in the banking and insurance sector.

By order of the Special State Prosecutor's Office, 12 persons for cases Melgonija - Primorka Bar were arrested. According to the Special State Prosecutor’s office, the suspects are charged with the criminal offense - abuse of authority in economy, abuse of authority in economy through the encouragement or by aiding and abuse of office committed in an organised manner. General Secretary of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, Refik Bojadzic, former member of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) board of directors, Boris Buskovic and ten more persons were arrested on suspicion of being members of criminal organisation involved in the Primorka affair. At the same time, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant against Predrag Stamatovic, an advisor at the Embassy of Montenegro in Brussels and Slovenian national Crtomir Mesaric, former director of NLB Bank.

18 persons arrested by the order of Special State Prosecutor's Office for the case Rudnik Boksita Cetinje. The arrested persons are suspected of having committed criminal offense of abuse of office in business operations and abuse of power, performed in an organised manner.

Morocco ranked among the most secure for investors among African countries. A recent ranking published by Control Risks company includes Morocco among the safest African countries for investors. The country is considered at low risks for investors. The ranking considers several parameters, including the safety for the personnel and goods, as well as the level of corruption. 

Rule of law, transparency and good governance among the main priorities of the new government’s programme. The new government presented its programme to the Parliament. The main areas of intervention will target, among other things, the support to the democratic institutions and the principles of rule of law as well as transparency, the reform of the administration and good governance. The government will also support economic growth and sustainable development.

Council of Europe anti-corruption body GRECO expresses concern about the use of emergency procedures to amend legislation in Romania. In a report published on 18 April, the Council of Europe anti-corruption body, expresses concern about the use of emergency procedures to amend legislation in Romania instead of using proper parliamentary process. GRECO has followed closely recent developments in Romania related to the amendments (subsequently withdrawn) to its criminal legislation in connection with Romania’s obligations as a party to the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption. GRECO considers that such far-reaching initiatives should be thoroughly examined and scrutinised by Parliament. It also alerts the authorities to the need to be mindful of the country’s commitments regarding incriminations against corruption and of the relevant GRECO recommendations in any future legislative initiatives.

Romania’s High Court maintains sentence against SocDem leader. Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice rejected yesterday a contestation filed by Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), against a suspended two-year jail sentence he got last year in a case of electoral fraud at the 2012 referendum for dismissing former President Traian Basescu. The suspended 2-year prison sentence ruled in April 2016 prevented Dragnea from nominating himself Prime Minister after PSD won the parliamentary elections in December 2016.

Anti-corruption protests continue across Russia. Anti-corruption protests continued across Russia on Sunday, 2 April, days after President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia has a problem with state corruption. The protests hit the capital and several other cities, but attendance was notably smaller than the week before, when Russians took to the streets in droves demanding government reforms to tackle the issue.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has dismissed as "nonsense" allegations that he has secretly accumulated a vast fortune including country estates. The corruption allegations came in a video by opposition campaigner Alexei Navalny, viewed by millions on YouTube. Mr Navalny said the Prime Minister profited from a complex business network which concealed "bribes" by using offshore schemes and charity foundations. The claims stirred up mass protests which saw thousands of Russians march against the government in several cities on 26 March. Hundreds of demonstrators were detained, many of them young supporters of Mr Navalny.

Vladimir Putin dismissed the head of the Udmurt Republic suspected of bribery. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the dismissal of the head of the Udmurt Republic, Alexander Solovyov, in connection with loss of trust. Solovyov was arrested and detained for two months on the suspicion of bribery. Former Secretary of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Alexander Brechalov, was appointed acting head of the Udmurt Republic.

Thousands protest against Serb government and flagship project. Thousands protested in central Belgrade against Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's government and demanded a probe into a multi-billion euro riverside building project in the Serbian capital.

Serbian police arrest 16 customs officers and a businessman over alleged corruption. The suspects enabled local companies to import goods without paying taxes which cost the state around 11.5 million euros ($12.5 million). Police say the accused customs officers accepted fraudulent documentation and cleared the goods of taxes as if they had been intended for embassies and foreign organisations.

The Center for Investigative Journalism in Serbia (CIJS/CINS) is the winner of this year’s European Press Prize in the category of “investigative reporting”. CINS was honoured by the award for a series of articles about corruption and organised crime in Serbia. Numerous prominent European media such as the Financial Times, The Guardian and Le Monde were among the finalists for this award.

Largest bank robbery in Macedonian history. An employee in one of the largest banks in the country, NLB Tutunska Banka, allegedly stole about 3 million euros (USD 3.1 million) from a vault in the bank's headquarters. The employee with initials B.S. has been questioned and detained by the police. The Department for economic and computer crime took further measures and provided evidence to the competent Basic Public Prosecutor's Office when filing a written notice for  3 other persons G.S. (43) brother of B.S., E.P. (24) employed at NLB bank, and B.M. (38), a friend of the first accused, all from Skopje. For all, there are grounds of suspicion for fraud in connection with assisting in a crime. The stolen three million euros from the NLB bank, were transferred to Serbia by Boris M., a friend of the first accused B.S.

“Trust” case. The first suspect in the case opened by the Special Prosecutor’s Office under the codename “Trust” Mr Sead Kocan is still not available for authorities and is considered to be at large. More than a month, law enforcement authorities are searching for the businessman. Meantime, the Special Public Prosecutor, Ms Katica Janeva asked that the Supreme Court Chief Justice Jovo Vangelov recuses himself from the case because his voice was in the recordings of the wire-tapping.

INLUCC promotes a charter for civil alliance against corruption. The Tunisian Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) launched a “Charter for civil alliance for the fight against corruption”. This initiative, which brings together 28 civil society organisations and associations, aims at joining efforts for the implementation of the National anti-corruption strategy. The organisations commit themselves to actively participate in the design and implementation of national policies and programmes against corruption, in close coordination with INLUCC as well as to promote and develop partnerships between civil society and public and private enterprises.   

Tunisian and international NGOs call on the Presidency of the Republic to withdraw a draft law to grant amnesty for economic crimes. Further to the decision of the Presidency of the Republic to submit again to the Parliament a controversial draft law to grant amnesty for businessmen and officials responsible for corruption offences under Ben Ali regime, twenty national and international NGOs called for a withdrawal of the draft law. In their views, this law is a threat to democratic transition and will only foster corruption and the pillage of public resources. The Presidency of the Republic considers, on the contrary, that by granting an amnesty in exchange for the reimbursement of the sums unduly taken and a financial sanction, this measure will contribute to restoring confidence between citizens and the administration, and between the State and investors.

Health Ministry and National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine are strengthening cooperation. The Health Ministry and the NABU have signed a memorandum on cooperation and exchange of information related to abuses revealed by the Ministry during the execution of its powers. Acting Minister of Health Ulana Suprun said the memorandum allowed structuring anti-corruption work in the healthcare sector and making it more effective. Moreover, the NABU would create a division the detectives of which would investigate corruption cases in the healthcare sector, NABU Director Artem Sytnyk has said.

New amendments to the law on corruption prevention targets anti-corruption NGOs and activists. The new requirement is vague and could be used to deter or punish investigative journalists and partners of anti-corruption non-governmental groups for doing their job. Under the new amendment, activists and journalists working with independent organisations involved in anti-corruption work, as well as members of public councils, must publicly declare their personal assets – even though they do not receive public funding – in the same manner as state officials.

Ukraine receives International Monetary Fund’s support but must accelerate reforms. On 3 April 2017, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund concluded the Article IV consultation with Ukraine and completed the third review of Ukraine’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility. Progress in advancing structural reforms has been mixed. While there have been important achievements in the energy and financial sectors, there was limited progress in reforming and privatizing state-owned enterprises, land and pension reforms, and effectively tackling corruption. Directors stressed the need to accelerate reforms to improve the business environment and attract investment. Directors welcomed the creation of new anti-corruption institutions, but strongly urged the authorities to strengthen these institutions further and to establish an independent anti-corruption court to achieve concrete results, in order to support the reform programme, attract investment, and achieve faster growth. They noted that more rapid progress in these areas is crucial to achieving the programme objectives and the stronger growth needed to increase incomes and allow Ukraine to catch up with its regional peers.