GRECO publishes its Compliance Report of Fourth Evaluation Round on Armenia. GRECO concluded that Armenia has implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner five of the eighteen recommendations contained in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report. Of the remaining recommendations, twelve have been partly implemented and one has not been implemented. The Armenian authorities are invited to submit additional information regarding the implementation of these recommendations by 30 June 2019 at the latest. The Fourth Evaluation Round deals with “Corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors”.

A new anti-corruption strategy is set to be developed in Armenia. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan tasked the executive bodies and the Ministry of Justice to sum up the results of the current anti-corruption strategy (2015-2018) and develop proposals for a new strategy with the involvement of civil society, private sector and other actors.

Council on State Support to NGOs announces grant competition on participation of NGOs in “Extractive Industries Transparency”. On 7 December 2017, the Council held a meeting to provide detailed information about the terms and conditions of the grant competition on participation of NGOs in “Extractive Industries Transparency”. The Deputy Chairman of the Council, Vusal Guliyev, emphasized the establishment of the Commission on Extractive Industries Transparency in Azerbaijan on 5 April 2017 which serves as an indication of the government’s support for international initiatives on transparency and accountability and its strong capacity to continue successful application of respective standards.

Azerbaijan drafts first report on transparency in extractive sector beyond EITI. “The first report on transparency in the extractive sector prepared by Azerbaijan beyond the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is even more detailed than the reports created during the EITI membership period”. Head of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), Shahmar Movsumov, made the remark on 8 December in Baku, during the presentation of the final report on transparency in the Azerbaijani extractive industry for 2016, prepared by Moore Stephens.

GRECO publishes summaries of reports on criminalising corruption and transparency of political funding. The summaries are of two new monitoring reports on Belarus: the evaluation report on criminalisation of corruption and on transparency of political funding as well as the report on compliance with previous recommendations related to legal framework and practices of preventing and fighting corruption. In the first report, GRECO notes that the ratification by Belarus of the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention against Corruption has not triggered a proper revision of the Belarusian Criminal Code. As for the transparency of political funding, although 15 political parties with diverse ideologies have been registered in Belarus, they only play a marginal role in the country’s political and electoral process, and do not appear to exercise their essential democratic function in law or in practice. The second report, examines the implementation by Belarus of recommendations given by GRECO in 2012 on the national anti-corruption bodies, their capacities and immunities, as well as on the legal means to prevent and fight against corruption. GRECO notes that Belarus has achieved no progress since 2014.

Indictments issued in Sarajevo to tackle corruption. In a recent case known as “Pravda" (Justice), Bosnian prosecutors issued indictments against 38 people, including a former Minister of Interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and eight legal entities for misuse of office, organised crime, money laundering, and other corruption related crimes. According to the Pravda indictments, the former Minister of Interior Alija Delimustafic organised a criminal group that had been illegally registering and selling real estate located in Sarajevo between 2009 and 2016. The accused allegedly made a profit of more than 10 million BAM (over 6 million USD) through these criminal acts.

Bulgarian parliament passes anti-corruption law under EU pressure. Bulgaria’s parliament passed anti-corruption legislation on 20 December 2017 under European Union pressure over its failure to prosecute and sentence allegedly corrupt officials, but President Rumen Radev has stated that the bill was not fit for its intended purpose and he would veto it.

EC calls on Bulgaria and Romania to transpose EU anti-money laundering rules. On 7 December 2017 the European Commission urged Bulgaria and Romania to transpose the EU directive on anti-money laundering into their national legislation in a monthly summary of its infringement decisions. The two countries have not notified any transposition measures and the draft laws are still in their national legislative process, the European Commission said.

ISIS member among killed terrorism suspects, Security Service confirms. On 1 December 2017, the Georgian State Security Service (SSS) issued a statement confirming that one of the three terrorism suspects killed during the anti-terrorist operation in Tbilisi on November 21-22 was an ISIS member Ahmed Chatayev. The SSS said Chatayev’s identity has been confirmed “through investigative activities and examinations conducted with the help of the American colleagues, including DNA and finger prints analysis.”

Justice Minister: Georgia successful in open governance.The Government of Georgia is one of the most open and transparent governments in the Open Government Partnership (OGP), says Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani. She adds that the country has achieved this through close cooperation between different branches of the government, local self-governments, non-governmental organisations, academic circles, students and citizens.

Georgia and Republic of Belarus sign agreement on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of the Classified Information. The signed agreement aims to establish legal norms regulating mutual protection of the classified information exchanged and created in the process of cooperation between the parties. It will create solid legal basis for the exchange of classified information in the fields of security, law enforcement, as well as foreign relations and other spheres, between the two countries.

Senate President says fight against corruption 'top priority' for Jordan. During a ceremony organised by the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Senate President Faisal Fayez stated that the fight against corruption and nepotism, in all its forms, is a national priority. He called for a balanced approach to assessing corruption perceptions, given the influence of corruption on political phenomena.

JIACC handled 1328 complaints in 2017. On 24 December 2017 the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) director, Mohammed Allaf, said the JIACC has dealt with 1,328 complaints in 2017, 415 of which were referred for investigation, 22 are in the hands of the judiciary, and 462 abandoned for suspicions of malicious prosecution. Mr Allaf added the estimated amount involved in these said cases stood at 125 million Jordanian dinars.

Jordan’s Audit Bureau reported on corruption at the Jordanian Investment Authority. A report by the Audit Bureau revealed several violations relating to the appointment of employees in the Investment Authority. A number of manipulations with employee contracts were identified as part of the suspicious conduct.

Saying NO to corruption means saying YES to progress for the people of Kosovo*. This was the statement issued on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day by the EU Office/EU Special Representative, EULEX and Heads of EU Missions. It underlined inter alia the necessity to “carry out independent audits of political parties, minimise corruption in public procurement, review laws on conflict of interest and on public officials charged or convicted for serious or corruption-related cases. Kosovo* institutions must be equipped with modern tools to confiscate property of corrupt officials. Those indicted should be suspended and those sentenced removed from the office. Whistleblowers and witnesses must be protected. Sufficient financial and staff resources must be allocated to fight organised crime and corruption, especially in high-level corruption cases”.

Protection of whistleblowers. In a discussion on protection of whistleblowers in Kosovo* that was facilitated through the support of the EU/Council of Europe Project against Economic Crime (PECK II), keynote speakers emphasised the current status and forthcoming needs aiming to strengthen the legal and institutional framework on protection of whistleblowers. The Head of EU Office/EU Special Representative in Kosovo* Nataliya Apostolova underlined the necessity to align relevant legislation with international standards and good practice, and to properly implement it. “I strongly believe that protection of whistleblowers is essential to promote trust in public institutions,” she said. Acknowledging shortcomings of the existing legal framework and lack of its implementation, Minister of Justice Abelard Tahiri informed about the institutional commitment to draft new legislation that would address identified needs and set mechanisms for the protection of whistleblowers.

No high profile individuals sentenced for corruption. Recent monitoring results and discussions of relevant stakeholders at the occasion of the anti-corruption week pointed out insufficient progress in investigating and adjudicating high-profile corruption cases. Investigations and adjudications of corruption-related cases are rather focused on low and middle profile while high profile indictments fail at initial court proceedings. Last two years data show that no high-profile person has been convicted for corruption with an effective prison sentence.

President of Kyrgyzstan promises to clear state bodies of corruption. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov made a statement on 9 December 2017 on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day. He noted that in recent years the fight against corruption has become one of the main directions of the state policy of Kyrgyzstan. “We will do our best for country’s development and the people of Kyrgyzstan do not suffer from corruption. I am confident that the legislative, executive and judicial branches of power will support all anti-corruption initiatives”, the President said.

New State Public Prosecutor elected. On 25 December, the Parliament elected Mr Ljubomir Joveski for the position of State Public Prosecutor with 61 votes and 1 abstention for a six-year term with the right for reappointment. The opposition did not take part in the debate or in the vote. Mr Joveski, member of the Council of Public Prosecutors, was nominated by the Government based on his previous experience and positive opinion given by the Council. He replaces Ms Liljana Spasevska who took the position after Mr Marko Zvrlevski was dismissed in August 2017.  

Head of the National Anti-corruption Centre selected. On 15 December 2017, the Parliament confirmed Mr Bogdan Zumbreanu to the post of the Head of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) for a five-year term with no possibility of re-election. Mr Zumbreanu previously headed NAC’s General Prosecution Division. He stated that he will submit a series of legislative proposals aimed at improving NAC’s functioning and efficiency. The Liberal-Democratic party expressed dissatisfaction with the transparency of the selection process.

National Integrity Authority has a Deputy Head. The only candidate for the position of Deputy Head of the National Integrity Authority (NIA) passed the polygraph test. During a closed meeting of the National Integrity Council, the officer who administered the test polygraph explained the results. As a final step, this appointment will be sent to the President of the Republic for endorsement. At the same time the selection process of the Director of NIA is still on-going since April 2017. Four (two current NIA employees, one professor and one prosecutor) out of six candidates were invited for interviews scheduled on 12 December 2017.  

Discussing methodology for verification of assets declarations of public officials. The workshop on “Challenges in the verification of assets declarations”, organised in the framework of the Action against Economic Crime in Montenegro, provided a venue for discussion of new approaches to the prioritisation in controlling and verifying asset declarations submitted by state officials. The aim of this activity was to support the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in improving the quality of results from the controls. For this purpose a technical paper assessing the current methodology in use and providing recommendations to amend the legal framework in order to allow for a new approach in controlling and verifying asset declarations was prepared and presented by the Action's long-term advisor.

Montenegrin judges and prosecutors trained on protection of whistleblowers in court procedure. The training organised in the framework of the EU-CoE's Horizontal Facility Action against Economic Crime was the first of its kind for representatives of judiciary and prosecution in Montenegro since the adoption of the legal framework for the protection of whistleblowers in 2016. It encompassed a presentation of the relevant national and international legal standards in the protection of whistleblowers, notably the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation from 2014 and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights; practical exercises based on real-life cases from Montenegro and Slovenia, as well as presentation of the results of a public opinion survey on protection of whistleblowers, conducted by a local civil society organisation engaged in this field, the Center for Development of NGOs.

Procedure against members of the Council of National Broadcaster. The case of the Council members of the RTCG (national public broadcaster) dismissed in November for allegations of incompatibility of functions/conflict of interest escalated in December. This happened after the Employers’ Union proposed as a candidate for the vacant post of council member a long time ruling party official. The European Union recalled the importance of independent and pluralistic media for democracy, stressing that the public broadcasters should be protected from political influence, and EC Commissioner Hahn wrote a letter to the Montenegrin Prime Minister. Back in October, acting on the basis of an anonymous report, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) brought decisions regarding 4 members of the RTCG Council on allegations of incompatibility of functions (private/public sphere) and conflict of interest (family member related). In all four cases the APC found violations and initiated misdemeanour procedures.

Morocco will participate in AU’s 30th Ordinary Session with the theme of fighting corruption. The African Union’s 30th ordinary session of the assembly of heads of state and government will take place on 28th – 29th January 2018 in Addis Ababa under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: a Sustainable Path towards Africa’s Transformation”. Morocco is set to participate in the summit. The North African country made its comeback to the African body last year after 33 years of absence due to political issues over Western Sahara.

New State Public Prosecutor elected. On 25 December, the Parliament elected Mr Ljubomir Joveski for the position of State Public Prosecutor with 61 votes and 1 abstention for a six-year term with the right for reappointment. The opposition did not take part in the debate or in the vote. Mr Joveski, member of the Council of Public Prosecutors, was nominated by the Government based on his previous experience and positive opinion given by the Council. He replaces Ms Liljana Spasevska who took the position after Mr Marko Zvrlevski was dismissed in August 2017.  

Romania braces for President’s decision on bills seen as weakening Judiciary. On 20 December 2017 the Romanian Senate passed legislation that critics said would weaken the judiciary’s independence. The country’s lower house previously had approved the changes. They now await the signature of President Klaus Iohannis, who has long criticised efforts to weaken the fight against corruption. The measures would limit the independence of magistrates, as well as set up a special unit to investigate potential crimes committed by them. Judges and magistrates have held silent protests in front of courthouses across the country to oppose the measures. Lawmakers from the governing party also released a draft bill on 26 December 2017 that proposed changes to Romania’s criminal code, which, among other things, would no longer punish abuse-of-office offenses in which the financial damage is less than 200,000 euros.

EC calls on Bulgaria and Romania to transpose EU anti-money laundering ruled. On 7 December 2017 the European Commission urged Bulgaria and Romania to transpose the EU directive on anti-money laundering into their national legislation in a monthly summary of its infringement decisions. The two countries have not notified any transposition measures and the draft laws are still in their national legislative process, the European Commission said.

Former Minister for Economic Development sentenced to 8 years in jail. On 15 December, Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky court sentenced Alexey Ulyukayev to 8 years in a maximum security correctional facility and a fine of 130 million roubles ($2.2 million) for accepting a bribe. While state prosecutors had urged the court to sentence Ulyukayev to 10 years in prison and a fine of 500 million roubles ($8.5 million), the court took into account mitigating circumstances, namely that he has two underage children and elderly parents as well as various honours and achievements. On 19 December the spokesperson for Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky court announced that Ulyukayev’s defence attorney filed an appeal against the sentence.

80% of entrepreneurs have encountered corruption over the past six months, according to the anonymous survey conducted by the Russian Chamber of Commerce. One out of ten respondents encountered problems after attempting to file complaints against officials. Businesses mainly experienced corruption during applications for permits (47%), various inspections (37%) as well as in the procurement processes at the municipal level (32%). 10 438 entrepreneurs participated in the survey.

More than 150 federal officials were prosecuted for corruption in 2017. According to the deputy Prosecutor General, in 2017, more than 13 000 individuals were charged with corruption-related offences, among them more than 1000 representatives of the legislature and the executive, including 150 federal officials.

Probe sought into Serbian ruling party's donations. Serbia's Anti-Corruption Agency has called for a probe into donations made to Aleksandar Vucic’s successful presidential campaign in April 2017, following claims that some of them came from illegal activities, including money laundering. In a request to the Finance Ministry, the agency said it had analysed reports on the campaign expenses of the Serbian Progressive Party and had determined that a number of persons donated identical amounts of money. Almost 7,000 individuals each donated 40,000 dinars [around 320 euros]. The report, dated October 16, and submitted to the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, was signed by the agency’s then director, Majda Kriskapa, who resigned less than a month later, for unknown reasons.

Backlash in Belgrade over Christmas tree cost. Authorities in the Serbian capital Belgrade are facing a public backlash over the cost of the city's fake Christmas tree. At a whopping 83,000 euros, the high price of the 18-metre artificial tree has sparked. Both locals and opposition politicians have cried foul, accusing the city's authorities of corruption. Belgrade's mayor has insisted he was unaware of the price and has promised to cancel the deal.

Whistleblowers in Serbia: a model law. The law on whistleblower protection was approved in November 2014 and came into force in June 2015. According to Dragomir Milojević, president of the Supreme Court of Cassation, the results of the first two and a half years of application have exceeded all expectations, and the law continues to reap great benefits, helping public authorities to seriously address the issue of whistleblower protection. In 2015, a total of 55 criminal proceedings related to whistleblowing were opened in Serbian courts, of which 33 were concluded; in 2016, 295 proceedings started, of which 241 were completed.

New State Public Prosecutor elected. On 25 December, the Parliament elected Mr Ljubomir Joveski for the position of State Public Prosecutor with 61 votes and 1 abstention for a six-year term with the right for reappointment. The opposition did not take part in the debate or in the vote. Mr Joveski, member of the Council of Public Prosecutors, was nominated by the Government based on his previous experience and positive opinion given by the Council. He replaces Ms Liljana Spasevska who took the position after Mr Marko Zvrlevski was dismissed in August 2017.  

New cases of corruption were unveiled against Tunisian Ministry of Finance. On 21 December 2017, the president of Tunisia’s National Anti-Corruption Agency (INLUCC) unveiled new cases of “alleged” corruption involving officials at the Ministry of Finance. A cooperation agreement between INLUCC and the Ministry of Finance on the fight against corruption was reported to be signed on the following day, 22 December 2017.

The Second National Congress on Fight against Corruption. On the occasion of the international day of fight against corruption, the Tunisian Anti-Corruption Agency (INLUCC) organised the Second National Congress on Fight against Corruption, which was held on 8-9 December 2017 in Tunis. The Congress aimed at reporting on the first year of implementation of the national strategy for good governance and fight against corruption and its operational action plan (2017-2018), as well as identifying the next steps in its implementation.

EU blacklist names 17 tax havens including Tunisia. The EU has named 17 countries including Tunisia in its first ever tax haven blacklist and put a further 47 on notice. The EU said the countries failed to match up to international standards and had not offered sufficient commitments that they would change their ways during talks in the months leading up to publication of the list. The move was hailed as a vital “first step” but the failure of EU member states to agree on any specific sanctions for those on the blacklist led the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, to concede it was as yet “an insufficient response”.

Ukrainian lawmakers vote to clear the way for new bill on anti-corruption court. On 21 December 2017, the Verkhovna Rada voted (235 in favour) to withdraw Draft law No.6011 on the creation of the anti-corruption court, a necessary step for the submission of a new law that is more in line with Venice Commission recommendations. On December 22, President Petro Poroshenko submitted the new draft law on the High Anti-corruption Court for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada. As reported on the Parliament's website, the President also registered a bill on amending the law “On the Judiciary and Status of Judges”. The bills are defined as urgent.

Transparency International (TI) Ukraine urges Poroshenko to re-work draft law on Anti-Corruption Court. Noting contradictions in several parts of the draft law on creating the High Anti-Corruption Court, the TI Ukraine urged President Petro Poroshenko to withdraw the draft law and submit a revised one taking into account recommendations of the Venice Commission.