Albania

Albania holds peaceful local elections amid political turmoil

Albania holds peaceful local elections amid political turmoil. Albania held its municipal elections on June 30 despite President’s decision to cancel the vote and a boycott by the main opposition parties who had previously relinquished from their parliamentary mandates and didn’t register any candidates for municipal elections. Albania’s centre-right opposition has led protests since mid-February demanding a new general election, accusing the government of links with organized crime following the publication of wiretaps allegedly revealing the involvement of criminal gangs in vote-buying. The Central Election Commission decided in favour of holding municipal elections, confirmed also by Albania’s top legal institution on election issues (Electoral College). The five judges ruled unanimously that a small political party, which had asked to deregister based on President’s action, must take part in Sunday’s vote. President ordered the postponement of the elections for 13 October by issuing a new decree, but the government has ignored this, while the US and several EU countries have supported holding the elections on their due date of June 30. Albania’s parliament has started the procedure to oust the President for violating the constitution with his attempt to cancel municipal elections. The vote is seen as a key test of democracy and the capacity of the political elite in Albania to solve problems in a peaceful manner, at a time when the country expects to obtain a date from the EU to launch accession negotiations in October.

June 2019
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Parliament adopts the “Moneyval” legislative package

Parliament adopts the “Moneyval” legislative package. In an effort to address Moneyval recommendations from December 2018 and consequentially strengthening money laundering and terrorist financing prevention regime in Albania, the Parliament adopted five laws on 17 June 2019.

Namely:

  • Law “On some amendments and additions to the Law "On prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing";
  • Law “On some amendments and additions to the Law "On measures against the financing of terrorism";
  • Law “On administration of seized and confiscated assets”;
  • Law “On some additions and amendments to Law “On National Business Centre` as amended”;
  • Law “On some additions and amendments to the Law "On Procedures of Taxation in the Republic of Albania` as amended”.

These legislative changes provide inter alia more transparency on beneficial ownership, including requirements for opening a bank account for all taxpayers’ natural and legal persons, subjects to VAT registration, regardless of the turnover realized, and non-profit organizations registered according to the legislation in force, and declaring it to the tax authority. Furthermore, the Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets has now a statutory recognition under the organic law. This has strengthened its mission and mandate in management of all assets in Albania including the assets for which the preventive seizure measure is set under Chapter VI of the Criminal Procedure Code and those confiscated by a court decision pursuant to Article 36 of the Criminal Code which are the proceeds of criminal offenses or predicate offences.

These legislative changes have reflected recommendations provided by the European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility Programme for the Western Balkans and Turkey “Action against Economic Crime in Albania” (AEC-AL).

June 2019
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Armenia

Minister of Justice Explained How Illegal Property Will Be Confiscated

Minister of Justice Explained How Illegal Property Will Be Confiscated. The Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan commented on the initiative of confiscation of property without conviction. He noted that the draft law is ready, and is undergoing an international review. An interim opinion has already been received from the Council of Europe. The government is seeking the opinion of other international partners.

In response to the question on how eventually it will be proven that the person got the property illegally the minister said the mechanisms are embedded in the law. Badasyan said they are currently looking at the issue of authorized body. “The decision will be made based on a court verdict, the court has not been selected yet.

June 2019
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azerbaijan

Azerbaijan starts development of National Action Plan on Promotion of Open Government

Azerbaijan starts development of National Action Plan on Promotion of Open Government. Starting from 1 June 2019, Open Government Platform of Azerbaijan jointly with the Anti-Corruption Commission begins the development of the new National Action Plan on Promotion of Open Government in accordance with the requirements of the International Open Government Partnership initiative. Active involvement of all stakeholders, including civil society organisations, media and citizens will be ensured throughout the development process.

June 2019
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GRECO issues Second Compliance Report of Fourth Evaluation Round on Azerbaijan

GRECO issues Second Compliance Report of Fourth Evaluation Round on Azerbaijan. In a new report published on 18 June, the Council of Europe Anti-Corruption Group GRECO noted progress in the implementation by Azerbaijan of the recommendations on corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. The report indicates that thirteen out of the total of twenty-one recommendations have been implemented satisfactorily, five recommendations have been partly implemented and three recommendations remain not implemented.

June 2019
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Baku hosts UN Public Service Forum-2019

Baku hosts UN Public Service Forum-2019. From 24 to 26 June 2019, Baku hosted the 2019 United Nations Public Service Forum. The importance of strengthening the monitoring of the implementation of relevant laws that ensure sustainable development, as well as enhancing broad mobilization against corruption through the introduction of an open government system was emphasized at the forum by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin.

June 2019
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belarus

Belarus introduces audits for procurement mechanisms in healthcare

Belarus introduces audits for procurement mechanisms in healthcare. As Belarusian Minister of Health Vladimir Karnik told to BelTA, the procurement mechanism in health care will be improved, become more open to the public and understandable to market participants. The legal framework in this regard is developed, though enforcement issues remain. Procurement mechanisms are to be improved, ensuring control of the procedure at all stages of their organisation. In this respect, the work of bodies that are engaged in procurement, will be subjected to audit.

June 2019
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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian judicial official faces disciplinary probe

Bosnian judicial official faces disciplinary probe. On 1 June 2019, the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC) filed a disciplinary action against Milan Tegeltija, president of the HJPC, for “a serious violation of official duty, jeopardizing public trust in the impartiality and credibility of the judiciary”. It requested that Tegeltija be removed from office until proceedings have ended. Tegeltija, head of the body overseeing the Bosnian judiciary, has been at a centre of corruption allegations after a secretly-filmed video was released showing him allegedly taking bribes through a middleman.

June 2019
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bulgaria

Critics slam Bulgarian corruption probe

Critics slam Bulgarian corruption probe. Bulgaria's Anti-Corruption Commission says it has found no conflict of interest in a property scandal that led four senior government officials to resign after they were found to have bought luxury apartments at discount prices. Four high-level government officials from Bulgaria's ruling GERB coalition resigned from office amid a criminal investigation launched after their suspicious real estate deals with the Arteks development firm were uncovered in March by RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service, the Bivol.bg news website, and Bulgaria's nongovernmental Anti-Corruption Fund. But after a three-month investigation the Anti-Corruption Commission concluded there was no conflict of interest on the part of any officials from the ruling GERB-coalition when GERB lawmakers amended the country's construction code to the benefit of Arteks. Meanwhile, the European Commission said in April that Bulgaria's GERB-led government has to do much more to combat fraud and corruption.

June 2019
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georgia

Policy Paper “Small steps towards big goals

Policy Paper “Small steps towards big goals: Georgia’s anti-corruption policy in the context of EU Association Process” was published by the Transparency International Georgia on 11 June 2019. Paper examines the situation in the context of the commitments Georgia has made under the EU Association Agreement and Association Agenda. According to the document, Georgia has attained positive results for maintaining previous achievements for eradicating petty corruption. However, Georgia’s progress in tackling high-level corruption remains weak. To overcome systemic problem the Policy paper recommends to Georgian authorities to establish an independent anti-corruption agency and to ensure its protection from partisan influence, on the one hand, while also promoting, in the long run, the establishment of a more pluralistic political system. Replacing the mixed electoral system with a fully proportional one would be the first important step forward.

June 2019
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jordan

Jordanian Judicial Committee endorses settlements in three corruption cases

Jordanian Judicial Committee endorses settlements in three corruption cases. The Judicial Committee of Economic Crimes has endorsed a decision of the attorney general to settle the cases of 18 suspects in three corruption cases handled by the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission.

June 2019
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Jordanian and Palestinian anti-corruption officials discuss ways to bolster cooperation in combating corruption

Jordanian and Palestinian anti-corruption officials discuss ways to bolster cooperation in combating corruption. The meeting took place on 20 June 2019 between the Chairman of the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) Muhannad Hijazi and his Palestinian counterpart Ahmad Barrak. Hijazi expressed the JIACC’s readiness to share its expertise in raising anti-corruption awareness. Barrak called for activating a previously signed protocol.

June 2019
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kosovo*

Kosovo* Marchers Against Parties Financing Bill Complain of Violence

Kosovo* Marchers Against Parties Financing Bill Complain of Violence. Members of civil society groups accused the security guards of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, of pushing them away from the party building on Monday as they were protesting in a “March for Refusal”, as they called it, over the new bill on financing political parties.

The NGOs protested in front of the HQs of all six political parties, but were pushed away only when they arrived in front of PDK’s main offices.

The NGOs promptly organised a press conference at which they called on the PDK to take responsibility for the incident, and accused of using violence.

June 2019
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KLI: The Justice System has failed to treat targeted cases.

KLI: The Justice System has failed to treat targeted cases. Kosovo* Law Institute, with the support of American State Department, held a press conference during which it has published the analytic report “Failures in targeted cases”.

The report includes findings, assessments and recommendations regarding processing and management of targeted cases by the justice system from the beginning of the process (December 2015 until May 2019). Pressured by the EU to show progress in combating high level corruption, the Kosovo* Prosecutorial Council has earmarked a number of court cases involving corruption of senior public officials which were considered to be the final condition for a visa-free regime in the Schengen Zone. The rationale behind this exercise was to prioritise 50 more serious cases in the justice system which would be treated urgently by all law enforcement agencies.

Ehat Miftaraj, executive director of the KLI, said that Prosecutorial and Judicial System have failed in treating targeted cases.

June 2019
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Veseli dismisses all PDK officials with links to corruption

Veseli dismisses all PDK officials with links to corruption. During a press conference on 19 June 2019, PDK chairman and speaker of the Assembly Kadri Veseli announced that all PDK officials indicted for the crimes of corruption, nepotism or misuse of official duty will be dismissed from the party.

“I have decided that those politically appointed by the Democratic Party in public institutions who have indictments that are connected with suspicions of misconduct, corruption or nepotism to resign from their positions immediately,” said Veseli during the press conference. “Likewise, I ask for those who are elected through voting into Kosovo’s institutions to also resign from their positions.”

June 2019
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Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz Ex-President rejects accusations ahead of bote on his Immunity

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."

June 2019
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Kyrgyz authorities investigate heroin smuggled to Europe as 'Turkish Sweets'.

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.

June 2019
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Former British Ambassador becomes Kyrgyzstan's Business Ombudsman

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.

June 2019
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montenegro

Agency for Prevention of Corruption awaits appointment of the new Council

Agency for Prevention of Corruption awaits appointment of the new Council. The mandate of the Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption expired at the end of June, without appointment of the new members. The parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee reached an impasse in the selection process, since the candidates for this position don’t have required qualifications.

Namely, the Committee took a stand that the exam to enter public administration is a necessary precondition for the work in the Council. This was not the case during the selection of previous Council members. The Committee explained its decision with a change of the relevant legislation regulating the work of civil servants and employees, which has introduced this exam as the general condition for any type of employment in the state bodies. This interpretation might be too stringent from the point of view of the Law on Prevention of Corruption. The latter stipulates that 2 members of the Council should be also members of academic community and civil society and there is only a handful of persons from these two groups that have the necessary exam, and none of them applied for the position in the Council.

Agency for Prevention of Corruption awaits appointment of the new Council. The mandate of the Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption expired at the end of June, without appointment of the new members. The parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee reached an impasse in the selection process, since the candidates for this position don’t have required qualifications. Namely, the Committee took a stand that the exam to enter public administration is a necessary precondition for the work in the Council. This was not the case during the selection of previous Council members. The Committee explained its decision with a change of the relevant legislation regulating the work of civil servants and employees, which has introduced this exam as the general condition for any type of employment in the state bodies. This interpretation might be too stringent from the point of view of the Law on Prevention of Corruption. The latter stipulates that 2 members of the Council should be also members of academic community and civil society and there is only a handful of persons from these two groups that have the necessary exam, and none of them applied for the position in the Council.

June 2019
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2018 Annual Report on the work of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption adopted in the Parliament

2018 Annual Report on the work of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption adopted in the Parliament. The report shows increase in number of misdemeanour proceedings for violation of the anti-corruption legislation and dismissals due to incompatibility of functions and conflicts of interest, as well as increase of public awareness on the work and mandate of the Agency. The format and content of the report itself has been improved as a result of the recommendations provided by the EU/CoE Action against Economic Crime in Montenegro.

June 2019
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morocco

Morocco will launch a national strategy to fight money laundering

Morocco will launch a national strategy to fight money laundering. Speaking at a national conference on the means to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the head of Morocco’s government Saad Dine El Othmani announced plans to launch a new national strategy to fight terrorism financing and money laundering. At the conference, the Moroccan Authorities for Capital Markets and the Financial Intelligence Unit signed an agreement undertaking to cooperate in the fight against laundering and the terrorism financing.

June 2019
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Spanish newspaper accuses Moroccan official of embezzling money

Spanish newspaper accuses Moroccan official of embezzling money. The news item reveals the details of a case pending before the Spanish judiciary, where Moroccan officials are accused of transferring funds donated by Morocco to help fight extremism in Europe to their bank accounts.

June 2019
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north macedonia

PM of North Macedonia, temporarily in the role of Minister of Finance

PM of North Macedonia, temporarily in the role of Minister of Finance. After submitting the proposal for the reconstruction of the Government, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced the names of the new ministers who will lead Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Culture, Environment and spatial planning, Local Government and Finance. The most surprising announcement was that the Prime Minister himself will temporarily run the Ministry of Finance while at the same time retaining his role of Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia. The Anti-Corruption Commission reacted in a timely manner and prevented the Prime Minister from formally doubling his functions. After the announcement by the Anti-Corruption Commission, which was submitted at the beginning of the parliamentary session, Mr Zoran Zaev decided to withdraw the proposal he himself submitted to the parliament.

June 2019
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Former Minister of Transport and Communications arrested for embezzlement

Former Minister of Transport and Communications arrested for embezzlement. The Public Prosecutor for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption in cooperation with the police conducted a large-scale operation to arrest suspects at several locations in Skopje, including the former Minister for Transport Mr Mile Janakieski, notaries, administrative officers and public officials. These arrests were relating the state land on which the Spanish steps were supposed to be built in Skopje, during the “Skopje 2014” project. The detainees were arrested under the charges of abuse of official position and authority, unscrupulous work and embezzlement of about 2 million euros.

June 2019
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Republic of Moldova

Constitutional Court rules new Government as unconstitutional

Constitutional Court rules new Government as unconstitutional. Shortly after Members of the Parliament of the Democratic Party notified the Constitutional Court (7-8 June 2019), President Igor Dodon’s decree regarding the appointment of Maia Sandu as Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and his decree on the formation of the Government were declared unconstitutional. However, on 15 June 2019 the Constitutional Court revised and annulled all decisions taken between 7 and 9 June 2019

in relation to the unconstitutionality of the new Government. The new decision was justified by the need to maintain social cohesion, rule of law and democracy as well as to prevent further political instability.

Constitutional Court rules new Government as unconstitutional. Shortly after Members of the Parliament of the Democratic Party notified the Constitutional Court (7-8 June 2019), President Igor Dodon’s decree regarding the appointment of Maia Sandu as Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and his decree on the formation of the Government were declared unconstitutional. However, on 15 June 2019 the Constitutional Court revised and annulled all decisions taken between 7 and 9 June 2019 in relation to the unconstitutionality of the new Government. The new decision was justified by the need to maintain social cohesion, rule of law and democracy as well as to prevent further political instability.

June 2019
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Democratic Party announces withdrawal from public institutions

Democratic Party announces withdrawal from public institutions. The vice-President of the Democratic Party announced on 15 June 2019 that the party was withdrawing ministers and other staff from the Government and public institutions. He stressed the illegality of the new Government and called for a technical Government until early elections take place.

June 2019
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Deputy Head of the National Anti-Corruption Centre appointed as Head ad interim

Deputy Head of the National Anti-Corruption Centre appointed as Head ad interim. Until the selection of a new head of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC), the deputy head, Ms Lidia Chireoglo, will be leading the institution. This decision was taken by the Parliament on 18 June 2019, after the appointment of the previous head of NAC was revoked on 8 June 2019. A decision detailing the legal procedure followed has been issued.

June 2019
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romania

Romanian Constitutional Court validates public referendum on justice

Romanian Constitutional Court validates public referendum on justice. On 27 June, the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) validated the referendum convened by president Klaus Iohannis that took place along the elections for European Parliament of 26 May. CCR rejected all the complaints formulated, and the decision will be submitted to the Parliament, News.ro reported. President Klaus Iohannis in a press release issued by the Presidency urged the Parliament to enact the results of the referendum on justice as soon as possible and warned the ruling coalition against ignoring the Romanians' vote. The questions answered by the voters on 26 May were related to the prohibition of amnesty and pardon for corruption offenses and a ban on the Government's adoption of the emergency ordinances in the field of crimes, punishments and judicial organization, with the extension of the right to attack the ordinances at the Constitutional Court.

June 2019
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Russian Federation

A "black list" of officials in Russia

A "black list" of officials in Russia. Last year, the Russian Government decided to create a register of civil servants dismissed due to loss of confidence. During this period, 1243 names were added to it. Information about such employees is transferred to the government by employers and then added to the registry. It contains the name and surname of the official, place of work, position, date and reason for dismissal. The list includes mainly deputies from local governments (almost 50%), police officers, military officers, bailiffs and heads of educational institutions.

June 2019
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The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called corruption in the country "disgrace"

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called corruption in the country "disgrace" during the Nationwide Teleconference (held on 20.06.2019). He added that he feels responsible for it. President Putin also noted that corruption cases should be publicly brought to the end [prosecuted], especially if they concern officials and law enforcement officers. In response to the comment about the feeling that the scale of corruption in Russia is growing, the President noted: "This is only by feeling. In fact, the number of corruption crimes is decreasing".

June 2019
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The International Youth Contest of Social Advertising Against Corruption “Together against Corruption!”

The International Youth Contest of Social Advertising Against Corruption “Together against Corruption!” is being organised by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation. In 2018, young people from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took part in the contest “Together against Corruption!” In 2019, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation initiated a similar Contest for the young people with expanded geographic coverage which includes participants from the BRICS states - Brazil, India, China and the South African Republic. The initiative aims to draw attention to one of the most important problems – corruption. The participants are requested to create social anti-corruption advertisements in video and poster format on the topic “Together Against Corruption”. Every contest is a competition of ideas, positions and experience of people who are concerned about the problem of corruption. It is expected that the contest works will reflect the modern mechanisms for combating corruption at all levels and all aspects of social life. Contest works will be accepted from 1 June to 1 October 12019 through the Contest Official Website www.anticorruption.life.

June 2019
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Serbia

Serbia taken off from the FATF “grey list”

Serbia taken off from the FATF “grey list”. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to take Serbia off of the List of jurisdictions with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies commending Serbia for significant progress made in addressing the deficiencies identified earlier. Pursuant to this decision, the country will again be under the monitoring auspices of the Council of Europe Moneyval Committee to whom it will report further progress on strengthening its AMl/CFT practices.

June 2019
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Lack of transparency and concerns regarding the new private jet of the Serbian Government

Lack of transparency and concerns regarding the new private jet of the Serbian Government. Questions are being raised on how a plane came to be in the possession of the Serbian authorities in the absence of documents attesting to its purchase, as well as possible ties between the acquisition and the sale of the state-owned enterprise Galenika. Currently no publically accessible information is available to explain the origin of the private jet used by the President and the Prime-Minister of Serbia for travel in the last six months. The plane, valued at $6 million, was previously used by the Brazilian company EMS S/A, who also won a tender to buy Serbia’s ailing drugmaker Galenika for €16 million. Serbia’s public procurement portal has no record of any public procurement procedure for the plane and the country’s Treasury Administration has no information on any payment being made by any Serbian state institution to its earlier user or the original owner. Requests for information filed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act have been rejected by various authorities, including the Customs Authority.

May 2019
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European Commission notes mixed progress made in the fight against economic crime in Serbia

European Commission notes mixed progress made in the fight against economic crime in Serbia. In the annual Country Report on Serbia, the European Commission concluded that there has been no measureable impact of corruption-prevention reforms. The Commission further notes that corruption is prevalent in many areas in Serbia and that law enforcement and judicial authorities still need to establish a credible track record of prosecutions and finalised high-level corruption cases.

In terms of organized crime and anti-money laundering, the Commission reported some progress over the reporting period, however underlined that its previous recommendations were only partially met and remain valid. The Commission notes that the recommendations emerging from the 2018 AML/CFT risk assessment are still being implemented. The Commission welcomed the establishment of the Centralised Record of Beneficial Owners within the Serbian Business Registers Agency, as well as improvements to the supervision of DNFBPs. The Commission also observed that in 2018, Serbia improved its legal framework relating to terrorism financing and proliferation financing and implemented a new mechanism for implementing targeted financial sanctions.

The Commission observed that there has been an improvement in the ability of law enforcement to carry out complex financial investigations in parallel with criminal investigations as a result of legislative reforms, but that Serbia has still yet to establish a convincing track record of effective investigations, prosecutions and final convictions in both organised crime and money laundering cases. Concerning the seizure and confiscation of criminal assets, the Commission considers that the numbers remain low and capacities need to be increased.

May 2019
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Tunisia

Tunisia to be removed from money laundering blacklist in October

Tunisia to be removed from money laundering blacklist in October. Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia Marouane Abassi announced that October 2019 will see the removal of Tunisia from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) blacklist of non-cooperative countries in the global fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. Abassi declared that the FATF will visit Tunisia in mid-September to check the extent to which it has implemented the action plan adopted in November 2017 against money laundering and terrorism financing.

On 20 June 2019, the FATF announced that Tunisia had completed the implementation of its plan and decided to schedule a field visit to verify its implementation. It confirmed that Tunisia has complied with 29 of the recommendations outlined by the FATF for the Middle East and North Africa.

June 2019
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Turkey

GRECO published two reports highlighting Turkey’s lack of progress in implementing anti-corruption measures

GRECO published two reports highlighting Turkey’s lack of progress in implementing anti-corruption measures. Released on 28 June 2019, the reports highlight the country’s lack of progress in the anti-corruption area, in particular the transparency of political party funding and the prevention of corruption among politicians, judges and prosecutors. In view of the continued lack of progress on party funding, the reports stated that the Turkish authorities made reference to legislative reforms in this area being underway as far back as 2012, but they still have not materialised. With regard to the prevention of corruption among MPs, judges and prosecutors, the reports noted the continuing lack of a code of ethical conduct for MPs, the transparency of the legislative process as well as integrity training and counselling for MPs.

June 2019
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ukraine

President Zelensky submits draft bill on 'illicit enrichment' to Ukrainian Parliament

President Zelensky submits draft bill on 'illicit enrichment' to Ukrainian Parliament. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has submitted the bill on the punishment for illicit enrichment by government officials to the Verkhovna Rada, reports the President’s press service.

The proposed bill provides for the confiscation of illegally acquired assets and criminal punishment for illicit enrichment, though the text is not yet available. In February, the Ukrainian Constitutional Court removed the section of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on illicit enrichment. The decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine was heavily criticized by the experts of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine and the international organization Transparency International.

June 2019
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Zelensky restarts National Council on Anti-Corruption Policy with Riaboshapka in charge

Zelensky restarts National Council on Anti-Corruption Policy with Riaboshapka in charge. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has updated the composition of the National Council on Anti-Corruption Policy; this body is now headed by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ruslan Riaboshapka.

The corresponding changes are enshrined in the decree “The Issue of the National Council on Anti-Corruption Policy” dated June 25.

The National Council includes representatives of expert non-governmental organisations, business associations, anti-corruption experts and other relevant authorities, etc.

June 2019
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Ukraine’s Constitutional Court recognizes e-declaration for public activists as illegal

Ukraine’s Constitutional Court recognizes e-declaration for public activists as illegal. The Grand Chamber of the Constitutional Court determined that including anti-corruption activists in the list of people who should file the electronic declarations was unconstitutional.

June 2019
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