The workshop followed another similar event held in late October 2016 within the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe’s Horizontal Facility Action against Economic Crime in Albania. Attended by Albanian civil servants, the workshop was held to present recommendations for reform in line with international standards on the regulatory processes of political party and election campaign financing; to discuss initiatives addressing the implementation of the recommendations; as well as to agree on the role of the key stakeholders.

A high-level event marked the launch of the European Union and Council of Europe’s Horizontal Facility Action against Economic Crime in Albania. The event, held in Tirana on 28 October 2016, served as a platform to present the Action to multiple stakeholders, including beneficiary institutions, representatives of international community and civil society, with whom it will work closely during the implementation phase. The launching event was followed by the workshop on “Political party and election campaign financing”. Prior to that, the Action held its first Steering Committee meeting.

The Albanian Constitutional Court stalled one of the core judicial reform laws, a move that experts believe could jeopardise the country’s chances of opening EU accession talks this year. The stalled ‘Law on Reassessment of Judges and Prosecutors’ aims to inspect around 800 judges and prosecutors on their professional ability, moral integrity and level of independence from organised crime, corruption and political officials. The court accepted a request from the main opposition Democratic Party to stall progress, so that they could ask for an opinion from the Venice Commission, a Council of Europe advisory body, about whether the legislation was compatible with the Albanian constitution or not.

Following the state registration of the State Examination Centre in mid-October 2016, a commission has been set up to carry out procedures for the liquidation of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Student Admission Commission. The liquidation process will finalise the merger and transfer of the key functions of the CSC, including enforcement of rules of ethical conduct and the formulation of the civil service policy, to the recently established State Examination Centre

According to the decree, from 1 January 2017, a ‘one-stop-shop’ will be applied to the procedure of issuing foreign grants in Azerbaijan. This service will be provided by the Ministry of Justice in relation to non-commercial entities. The Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to simplify the procedure on obtaining opinions on the financial-economic expediency of the grant. It is anticipated that the Decree will lead to the simplification of the donor registration process in Azerbaijan.

Amendments include two new articles that concern the provision of information about corruption offences. According to the amendments, the state and municipal bodies shall assign a relevant senior official or structural body to receive and register information on corruption offences from the employees. The amendments also provide confidentiality and state protection to persons who provide information on corruption.

Armenia’s new government released its policy program in mid-October 2016. The program promises to help speed up economic growth through a tougher fight against corruption, better tax administration and “equal conditions” for all businesses. Notably, the fight against corruption and tax evasion is listed as one of the “strategic” priorities in the document. The program commits the state to improve Armenia’s business environment in a way that would be recognised in the annual survey conducted by the World Bank next year.

Armenia’s parliament ratified an agreement on the establishment of the CIS Interstate Anti-Corruption Council, signed during 2013 in Minsk, Belarus. The agreement provides for coordination of the fight against corruption across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), uniting several former Soviet republics. The Council is expected to deal with the development of special programmes and priority areas of cooperation in this sphere.

The chief is suspected of having obstructed probes into alleged corruption involving the Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik. Specifically, Bosnia’s Security Minister accused Chief Prosecutor Goran Salihović of giving Dodik information about two pending investigations into the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of euros from two banks.

The conference, which took place in Belgrade from October 27-28, hosted leading whistleblowing experts, whistleblowers and journalists from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as prominent officials from around the world. Issues discussed included the importance of whistleblowers in the effort to prevent fraud and corruption globally and opportunities to receive protection, rewards, and ensure that the corruption issues they raise are effectively addressed. 

The Balkan Insight reported that mayors were also convicted of other major crimes, such as war crimes, kidnapping and abuse of office. One of them was Fikret Abdić, who was jailed for 15 years for committing war crimes during the 1992-1995 conflict, will now be the Mayor of Velika Kladuša. In addition, 14 more candidates who were either accused or under investigation for various crimes won mandates in the municipal polls.

The report was issued by Doing Business 2017 and stated that Belarus is among the top five countries in the world that have carried out the largest number of reforms to improve the business environment and regulations. Specifically, the country is ranked 37th in the Doing Business 2017 ranking among 190 states, compared to last year’s ranking of 50th . 

The centrist ANO party of Finance Minister Andrej Babiš won the Czech Republic's regional elections in late October. ANO, set up by Babiš in 2011 as an anti-corruption movement with a centre-right economic agenda, finished ahead of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's centre-left Social Democrats. Babiš has regularly fought off conflict-of-interest allegations since joining politics, though after his victory, he pledged to continue fighting regional corruption across the country.

Former Czech Deputy Labour and Social Affairs Minister, Vladimír Šiška, was sentenced to six years in prison for manipulating a public order for the payment of welfare benefits in favour of Fujitsu Technology. The second defendant, a former director of an Interior Ministry department, Miroslav Duda, also received a three-year sentence suspended for five years. Both defendants plead not guilty and have appealed against the verdict.

With a court order, investigators from the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) entered the Administration of Security and Counterintelligence (UBK) to confiscate all documentation with orders and regulations on special investigative measures for monitoring communications, as well as books with evidence and parts of the records from the computer data systems for wiretapping. The SPO came upon obstruction by the director of the Administration, Vladimir Atanasovski, who did not allow them access to the required documents. The situation lasted over the night and into the next day, until the SPO managed to seize part of the needed documentation. The rest was seized ten days after, with the assistance of an external expert from Ericsson. 

 The Parliament set December 11 as the date for snap parliamentary elections, in an attempt to end the long-running political crisis. The country has been in crisis since February 2015, when the leader of the main opposition party, Zoran Zaev of the Social Democrats, released a series of tapes that appeared to reveal widespread wiretapping, uncovering corruption among high-ranking officials. After a string of demonstrations, the European Union stepped in to mediate and has urged for early elections and an independent probe into the corruption allegations. 

15,000 people marched through the streets of Skopje on October 11, led by the opposition Social Democrats in alliance with the Association of WWII Veterans and other NGOs and prominent activists. The march, held two months before planned pre-term general elections on December 11, was intended to symbolise the fight against oppression, with the crowd urging the Special Prosecution to continue to investigate high-level crime among ruling officials. 

The European Union has concluded an agreement with Georgia for the allocation of €30 million within the scope of a programme supporting public administration development in the country. The Prime Minister of Georgia and the EU Ambassador made statements on the milestone fund to the press. The latter added that in his opinion, the reform anticipated to be achieved in public administration, will play a vital role in the development of democracy in Georgia by building strong and independent public institutions.

A two-day workshop on the “National money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment” for Georgian authorities was organised in Tbilisi on 20-21 October by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Georgian Ministry of Finance.

Georgia should focus on combating high-level corruption, having achieved remarkable progress in eliminating petty corruption in public administration, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report has said. The report, Anti-Corruption Reforms in Georgia, highlighted Georgia's good track record in prosecuting corruption crimes and in using modern methods to confiscate criminal proceeds. It said the country should increase the enforcement of corporate liability and the prosecution of foreign bribery to address “the perception of alleged corruption among local self-government officials as well as at the political level”.

The Jordan Integrity and AntiCorruption Commission (JIACC) referred several new cases of suspected graft to the Prosecutor General's Office during October. A source told the Jordan News Agency, that one case involved JD2 million that was allocated for removing a berm at Al Wihdeh Dam. The berm was however not uninstalled and the funds were not restored. Another case involved a mayor and members of the Ajloun Municipality Council, who “illegitimately” used public money to travel to Turkey. Several other cases include those related to forging drilling licences, tenderrelated violations and endorsing real estate transactions without collecting due fees.

The Council of Europe held two workshops in Jordan during October as a part of the ongoing SNAC-2 project. Firstly, a workshop on corruption-proofing models was held, with the participants debating the existing tools in the Jordanian procedural legal framework, before discussing the development of a tailored corruption proofing model for Jordan. The second workshop aimed at promoting anti-corruption compliance in the private sector by promoting international standards. 

The Council of Europe held two workshops in Kosovo* during October as a part of the ongoing PECK II project. The first workshop reviewed the regulatory, institutional and operational framework of the Kosovo* Anti-corruption Agency (KAA) with the aim of identifying needs for further
strengthening its capacities. A following workshop reviewed legal, institutional and operational whistleblowing mechanisms. The events were attended by relevant beneficiary institutions including the Anti-corruption Agency, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Judicial Council, the police and representatives of civil society.

The special prosecution filed indictments against 37 people in a major case of organised crime involving senior politicians and judges, and former MP Azem Syla. The 37 people were allegedly led by Syla, who was a former
member of the Kosovo* Assembly from the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo* and a former commander of the Kosovo* Liberation Army during the 1998-1999 war. The groups were alleged to have illegally appropriated land near the capital, Pristina, by falsifying the ownership documents and by obtaining unlawful court decisions.
 

Kyrgyz Ex-President rejects accusations ahead of bote on his Immunity. On 20 June, Kyrgyz lawmakers voted for a resolution stripping Atambaev of the immunity all former presidents receive under the country's laws. The move came amid allegations that Atambaev abused his powers while in office. Kyrgyzstan's former president has rejected all accusations leveled against him by lawmakers and the prosecutor-general, as the parliament gets ready to vote on stripping him of immunity from prosecution. In a statement made public by his associates on 26 June, Almazbek Atambaev accused his successor Sooronbai Jeenbekov of "lawlessness" and using against him "the dirtiest politicians with the dirtiest corrupt past, and the most immoral information technologies."

Kyrgyz authorities investigate heroin smuggled to Europe as 'Turkish Sweets'. Kyrgyz authorities have launched an investigation into a heroin-smuggling case after customs officials at the German-Polish border discovered 670 kg of heroin in a truck that was meant to be transporting sweets to Belgium from a Bishkek-based company. The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said on 20 June that a woman who owns the Elit Shoko company was summoned for questioning in the case. On 18 June, German customs police said the heroin had been disguised as "Turkish sweets." The German authorities said 532 packages, each containing 1.3 kilograms of heroin, had been discovered in the truck at the German-Polish border late on 31 May. German authorities also said the drugs most likely originated from Afghanistan and were on their way to Belgium. It is the largest amount of heroin ever discovered in Germany with an estimated street value of up to $56 million.

Former British Ambassador becomes Kyrgyzstan's Business Ombudsman. The former British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Robin Ord-Smith, has been elected as the Central Asian state's business ombudsman. The decision was made by a special commission consisting of business groups and associations, representatives of the Kyrgyz government, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The post was established by the Kyrgyz government in January. The 53-year-old served as the British ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from June 2015 to January 2019. The EBRD is expected to allocate 1.5 million euros ($1.68 million) for the launch of the business ombudsman's operations in Kyrgyzstan.

Former British Ambassador becomes Kyrgyzstan's Business Ombudsman. The former British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Robin Ord-Smith, has been elected as the Central Asian state's business ombudsman. The decision was made by a special commission consisting of business groups and associations, representatives of the Kyrgyz government, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The post was established by the Kyrgyz government in January. The 53-year-old served as the British ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from June 2015 to January 2019. The EBRD is expected to allocate 1.5 million euros ($1.68 million) for the launch of the business ombudsman's operations in Kyrgyzstan.

Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Đukanović announced his resignation just ten days after his Democratic Party of Socialists won at the parliamentary elections. Đukanović governed as Prime Minister or President of Montenegro for most of the past twenty five years, and since splitting with Serbia in 2006, he has seen Montenegro forge closer ties with EU and NATO. Earlier in the month, his party had won the elections, but with only 36 out of 81 seats, forcing it to seek coalition partners. In recent years, the opposition has regularly accused Đukanović of corruption and cronyism.

According to the press release from the 31st session of the Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC, most of the political entities in Montenegro failed to comply with the provisions of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns. The most common violations of the Law were related to the submission and publishing of the prices for media advertising, the opening of special bank accounts and the identification of the person responsible for management of funds and reporting. The APC has requested the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior to work harder to prosecute and sentence criminal offenses with elements of corruption and organised crime.

On the day of the elections, Montenegrin police arrested 20 individuals suspected of planning armed attacks in the aftermath of the vote. The Police Administration Director stated that those arrested were suspected to have obtained weapons and planned attacks on government offices and police stations. Subsequently, the Special State Prosecutor conducted hearings of the arrested persons, and requested the detention of 14 individuals, while 6 of them were released.

The contest is widely seen as pitting those who support closer integration with the European Union against those who want to expand relations with Russia. From the two candidates, Action and Solidarity’s Maia Sandu favours the former, while the Socialist Party’s Igor Dodon has said Moldova must rebuild trade and economic ties with Moscow. First round results showed that the pro-Russian front-runner had a strong lead over the pro-European candidate before a second round in November.

The US is investigating alleged corruption linked to a massive bank theft in Moldova. A former deputy chief of the Moldovan anti-money laundering unit told The Wall Street Journal that he met with US government investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security in the summer, and answered questions about the suspicious disappearance of $1 billion in 2014 from Moldovan banks.

Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called for the Moldovan authorities to refrain from any political intimidation of activists and key witnesses willing to testify against Vladimir Plahotniuc, the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, in regard to his involvement in money laundering schemes.

After the elections of 7 October 2016, a debate on the new priorities for the parliament is ongoing. Together with the need to improve public administration, several parliamentarians have stressed the importance of introducing new anti-corruption measures to increase cooperation among the different institutions and strengthen the partnership with civil society.

King Mohammed VI called for the reform of public
administration in an address at the opening of the autumn session of the new parliament, a week after the legislative elections. He criticised state agencies for creating obstacles to CoE anti-corruption digest 8 October 2016 ensuring citizens’ rights and dealing with their concerns in a bureaucracy. Alternatively, he called for e-government capabilities to be made available to facilitate Moroccans’ access to services without having to go to state agencies and interact with staff members, which he stated was “the main reason for the prevalence of corruption and abuse of power”.

According to the Director of the Centre des études et de recherches en sciences sociales, the legislative elections of 7 October 2016 were marked by a high level of transparency and only a limited number of offences were registered. These results proved that the political actors respect Morocco’s democratic institutions and the democratic choice expressed by voters. 

The involved parties are two senior officials of Romania’s tax agency and Finance Ministry, who resigned after being accused of complicity in a nearly $145 million tax evasion case involving alcohol producers and marketers.
In particular, they are suspected of helping two alcohol companies evade taxes between 2010 and 2014. At least 10 people have been detained so far in relation to the case.

President Klaus Iohannis discussed ways to tackle corruption during a meeting with Slovak President Andrej Kiska in Bucharest in early October. In particular, he offered to share information and experience concerning building efficient agencies to tackle corruption. The meeting was held in the context of fostering discussion between the countries, as President Iohannis highlighted the need of a ‘new vision’ and a new strategic approach.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice sentenced Gheorghe Ștefan, former Mayor of Piatra Neamț, to six years for influence-peddling. Moreover, former Telecommunications Minister, Gabriel Sandu, was sentenced to three years for bribery and money-laundering. Two other businessmen also received prison sentences as a part of the case. Under the terms of a 2004 government contract with Microsoft for computers licensed for schools, the four conspired to pocket a 47% discount offered by Microsoft.
 

The scheme resulted in Canada adopting legislation to freeze the assets of corrupt foreign officials. The funds amounted to $230 million, while the Russian officials involved used a hedge fund, CoE anti-corruption digest 9 October 2016 known as Hermitage Capital Management. Hermitage investigators found that the transfers originated from two firms that received the proceeds of the fraud to four companies and individuals in Canada, as well as in wires to Canadian accounts from companies that were part of an alleged money-laundering network.

For the first time during 10 years period the index on combating corruption has been located within area of positive values, according to a poll by Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM). 48% of respondents noted the results of the activities of the authorities in this area.

 More than 20 thousand of corruption crimes were detected in Russia during the first half of the year. Irina Yarovaya, the head of Duma Anti-corruption Committee, underlined the importance of the fight against corruption at the regional level, "where infrastructure projects are implemented and perceived by the citizens positively”.

The EC gave a positive opinion on the draft action plan, which provides an overview of the measures and deadlines for reforms that Serbia intends to undertake in the field of justice, fundamental rights and the fight against corruption.

 In the report on the priorities of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy for 2016, which was released in midOctober 2016, the EU called for Serbia to devote more efforts to rule of law issues in the country, including intensifying legislative reforms and effective implementation of anticorruption efforts as part of Chapter 23 and 24 negotiations. 

Youssef Chahed, Tunisian Prime Minister, invited the General Directors of the Ministry of Public Administration to promote reforms and rebuild citizens’ trust in public administration. The Prime Minister recognised that widespread corruption and bribes contributed in the previous year to create a distance between citizens and the administration, and subsequently called for the adoption of concrete measures to increase transparency and accountability in order to promote the implementation of development policies for the country. 

Chawki Tabib, President of the Tunisian Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) invited authorities to adopt legislation to protect whistleblowers and to fight against a culture of impunity, as soon as possible. Tabib also announced that the INLUCC would soon establish a database on anti-corruption complaints and set up a centre for studies of corruption. Finally, he stated that there was a need to incorporate a gender dimension into the discussions on the fight against corruption because, as of today, over 60% of whistleblowers are men. 

European Parliament President Martin Schulz and President of the European Council Donald Tusk congratulated President Petro Poroshenko on successfully completing of the first phase of the e-declaration of assets. 

A letter highlighting the threats of corruption was sent to President Poroshenko, signed by the Ambassadors of Japan, Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the US to Ukraine, as well as the Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. The authors of the letter note that they "appreciate Ukraine's efforts and achievements in creating a comprehensive system aimed at preventing and fighting corruption". However, the diplomats state they observe with concern "that over recent weeks several legislative initiatives threaten to put this important CoE anti-corruption digest 10 October 2016 anti-corruption system and the reform agenda in jeopardy". In particular, in their opinion, "some draft bills, if adopted, would weaken the Electronic Declaration system and curtail the NABU's and SAPO's competences in investigating and prosecuting high-level corruption cases".

A joint nationalinternational committee comprised of three national and three foreign experts has been created to help fight corruption in Ukraine’s defence sector and to increase transparency and accountability. The Committee's task is to analyse and evaluate anti-corruption efforts in the defence sector. It is also required to make recommendations on fighting bribery, report to Ukrainian authorities, promote transparency, and strengthen accountability structures.