The Court had requested an amicus curiae brief from the Venice Commission which advised that the Law no. 24/2016 on the Transitional Re-Evaluation of judges and Prosecutors in the Republic of Albania “the Vetting Law” is in accordance with international standards including the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Vetting Law paves the way to the implementation of judicial reform. Upon implementation, an evaluation process will be initiated for the judges and prosecutors, members of the Constitutional Court and the High Court, legal advisors in the Constitutional and High Court, legal assistants in the administrative courts and legal assistants in the General Prosecution Office. The evaluation process will conduct a check on assets (and sources), background (connections with crime and criminals) and the professionalism of the judges and prosecutors (proficiency).

On 14 December, President approved the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that aligns it with the Criminal Code provisions on criminal liability of legal persons for corruption and money laundering offences. The amendments will enable the application of the Criminal Code provisions on liability of legal persons that were introduced in 2012.

Azerbaijan’s composite TRACE score was 65, on a scale of 1-100, with higher scores indicating a higher risk of business bribery. The country scored better in the domain of anti-bribery laws and enforcement, but did worse in the domain of business interactions with government based on a low degree of government interaction, moderate expectation of bribes, and a very high regulatory burden.

At the end of December 2016, Armenia formed a working group tasked with drafting and implementing anti-corruption reforms. The working group was formed pursuant to Presidential Order and will be led by the Minister of Justice, Arpine Hovhannisyan.

 Two senior officials from the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs have been arrested on suspicion of corrupt practices concerning payments of state benefits to disabled persons. The authorities claim that the two suspects sought between $42 to $84 from individuals in order to facilitate the award of benefits. Additional actions aimed at identifying other individuals involved in the scheme are underway.

Following earlier requests from the civil society, the Minister of Justice, Arpine Hovhannisyan, announced on 29 December 2016 the decision to make more seats for the civil society in the Anti-Corruption Council.

Despite recent high-level efforts by EU officials to push for meaningful anti-corruption reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, political infighting in the country impedes significant progress in this field. Following setbacks to a recent British-German initiative, corruption is increasingly being viewed as one of the major impediments towards any movement of the country towards the EU.

On 12 December, the State Electoral Commission reported that the main ruling VMRO-DPMNE party won 51 seats in the 120-seat Parliament, while the main opposition Social Democrat Union (SDSM) won 49 seats. As regards the ethnic Albanian parties, the junior ruling coalition member Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) won 10 seats, while the BESA party won 5 seats, the Alliance for Albanians 3 seats, and the Democratic Party of Albanians will get 2 MPs. In a bid to overturn the narrow win by the VMRO-DPMNE, the opposition SDSM challenged the election results. However, despite a rerun in two areas, the election observers (PACE, OSCE ODIHR and the EP) said the election day was generally well administered without major incidents. The turnout stood at 66.8%.With such inconclusive results, forming a government will be a daunting task. The minimum number of MPs needed to form a government is 61 and the incumbent ruling coalition partners VMRO-DPMNE and DUI won 51 and 10 seats, respectively. The deadline for forming a government is 16 February. It is still uncertain who will form the new government. Some indicate that the most likely solution could be a technical government, supported by all parties.

According to the agreement reached on December 13, the visa free regime will be enforced for Georgian citizens simultaneously with the visa suspension mechanism, which has already been approved by the European Parliament and needs to be formally approved by the EU Council.

The OGP activities at the national level are carried out by the Ministry of Justice. The agency coordinates development of the OGP National Action Plan, holds nationwide public consultations on respective issues, etc.

GRECO concludes that “no tangible progress has been achieved by Georgia as regards the implementation of the outstanding recommendations on political party funding”. The pending seven recommendations remain partly implemented. GRECO recommended proceeding with efforts to revise existing legislation in the area of political finance, with a view to establishing a more uniform legal framework.

It will only have to be paid if corporate profit is distributed.

Several cases of suspected corruption were referred to the prosecution services by the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC). The cases deal with the illegal investments and use of state land and other violations committed by private companies as well as suspected bribes received by a public employee. In 2016, a total of 78 cases were referred by JIACC to the prosecution service.

On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, the new National Strategy for Integrity and Anti-Corruption 2017-2025 was officially launched by the Prime Minister. The Strategy aims to ensure the full implementation of UNCAC and further emphasized the key role of the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC).

The Government adopted the draft Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest. The project against Economic Crime in Kosovo* (PECK II) assisted and supported the drafting and finalisation process of this important piece of legislation.

Kosovo* Judicial Council and Prosecutorial Council elected new presidents of basic courts and new chief prosecutors in basic prosecution offices for a 4-year term.

A large scale operation has led to the arrest of 59 police officers from the northern town of Mitrovica for abuse of duty and passive bribery. They were arrested after a four-month investigation. The operation was part of a wider government crackdown on corruption. Charges are also to be filed against 30 members of the public for allegedly offering bribes.

In the framework of Anti-corruption week aiming to mark the International anti-corruption Day, PECK II Project organised in cooperation with EU Office, Kosovo* Anti-corruption Agency and Kosovo* Democratic Institute (TI chapter), the screening of two documentaries and Discussion on ‘Youth Engagement in Fighting Corruption’ with the participation and active discussion of students from Pristina University.

At the end of December, the President’s office stated that, as currently drafted, the law provides protection only for public employees and civil servants, and thus, the remaining categories of the population are unprotected by this law. Also, as per the text, the draft provides for monetary compensation to whistleblowers but it does not specify the source of payment.

Voters in Kyrgyzstan backed amendments to the constitution that will see the Prime Minister given greater powers. The overall voter turnout was 41.7% with 79.6% voting in favour of the 26 constitutional reforms. The amendments to the Constitution concern human rights, citizenship, criminal prosecution and judicial powers. According to President Atambayev, the most significant amendment is the removal of the last sentence from Article 41 which stated that “in cases where international human rights bodies confirm violations of human rights and freedoms, to take measures to restore such rights/freedoms and compensate for damage”. An opinion by the Venice Commission negatively assessed the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

The site is launched under the Defence Council. It will be accessible to all citizens of Kyrgyzstan and enable them to leave messages anonymously or openly. In addition, the website will also have data on corruption in regions. It is expected that the site will be launched at the beginning of 2017.

The Agency for Prevention of Corruption has adopted and published a report on funding of parliamentary election campaigns, which were held on October 16, 2016. In total, 405 misdemeanor procedures were initiated and five decisions on temporary blocking of budget funds for political entities were adopted for violations. Most of the detected irregularities related to untimely fulfilment of legal obligations, incorrect methods of reporting, mismatches between documentation and financial reports, and lack of evidence for cash transactions.

The Agency for Prevention of Corruption has published results of public opinions of corruption in Montenegro and public trust in the work of the Agency. According to the key findings of the survey, 17% of participants had direct experience with corruption, while 40% had indirect experience with corruption. Interviewed citizens percieved healthcare, police and public administration as sectors particularly affected by corruption. Almost one third (28%) were not familiar with the methods and channels for reporting corruption and stated that they have never heard of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption.

Within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility Action against Economic Crime in Montenegro, a Council of Europe expert met with representatives of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Parliamentary Comittee for Human Rights and Freedoms and Anti-Corruption Committee, the Delegation of EU to Montenegro, and civil society organisations in Montenegro to discuss conflict of interest and ethics among MPs. Expert findings will be integrated into the Guidelines on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for MPs in Montenegro, which is expected to be published in January 2017.

The illegal assets recovery agency will be an autonomous subdivision of the National Anti-Corruption Centre. The agency will conduct prosecutions and will accumulate evidence and information on assets located abroad through similar international institutions.

The appeal contains legislative and administrative action proposals for the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017-2019. The priorities relate to the fight against high-level corruption, anti-corruption actions in the judicial sector, corruption at the political level, ensuring transparency, fight against corruption in private sector, and education.

A recent survey on the achievement of sustainable development objectives carried out by the “Haut Commissariat au Plan” revealed that over 50% of Moroccans perceive an increase in the level of corruption in all sectors and institutions and notably in the health system. Among the possible remedies to corruption, the Moroccans highlighted the importance of a strict implementation of the law and a more severe justice system.

 Transparency Maroc criticized delays in the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and the absence of information on the status of the projects launched within its framework. The opposite view is held by the Moroccan Ministry of Public Function and Modernisation of Administration, which considers that the implementation of the strategy is progressing at a good pace. The first progress report on the implementation of the strategy is being prepared by the Ministry and will be issued shortly.

Ms Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief anti-corruption prosecutor in Romania and the Head of the Anti-Corruption Directorate vow to continue efforts to identify and prosecute public officials and affiliated individuals despite strong opposition in various governmental circles.

Recent analysis of election results in Romania demonstrates the limited impact anti-corruption campaigns can have on electoral preferences. While fighting corruption is still considered a priority by a large segment of the population, it is no longer the dominant factor in shaping voter attitudes.

On 28 December 2016, under the National Anti-Corruption Plan, the Russian President signed a law reinforcing the fight against corruption. The Act bans MPs, officials and law enforcement officers from owning foreign assets, including owning them through third parties or trusts. Also, the law gives a new, more precise definition of the term "foreign financial instruments". As regards third parties, it notably includes former spouses and other authorized persons.

The law is to confer on the heads of Russian regions responsibility for verifying the accuracy and completeness of income and property information submitted by municipal officials, and for engaging disciplinary measures in case of violation. The draft also lifts the ban on government officials (at different levels) taking part in certain activities, such as membership of social organisations and NGOs as well as political parties. The draft federal law also envisages a number of other changes aimed at specifying procedures for settling conflicts of interest.

The Prosecutor’s Office reported on compliance with the legal requirements to check that expenditures of state officials and other persons correspond to their actual incomes. According to the report, in the first nine months of 2016, over 6,000 checks of compliance with the spending oversight law were conducted. More than 4,000 violations of the law were established and over 700 officials were subjected to disciplinary liability. At the same time it was noted that despite the effective means of prosecutorial oversight taking shape, there are still difficulties in enforcing the spending oversight law and certain shortcomings in legal regulation in this field.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation published the statistics on its work in the area of fighting corruption for the first nine months of 2016. The investigative Committee investigated 24,766 criminal cases of corruption (in 2015 – 25,255 cases). Almost 29,000 reports (in 2015 - 30, 600) had been received about corruption crimes and the decisions to initiate criminal proceedings were made in 19,513 cases (in 2015 – 20,353). In total, 427 persons (in 2015 - 413 persons) with special legal status (members of electoral commissions, deputies of legislative bodies, prosecutors, judges, and heads of local government, lawyers, and internal affairs officers) were prosecuted for corruption.

The Prosecutor General of Russia, Yury Chaika stated that of 9,932 individuals that had been convicted of corruption, 984 were law enforcement officials. Also, according to the Prosecutor General, the damages inflicted by corruption crimes in Russia amount to 43.8 billion rubles (700 million US dollars).

Domestic economic and social policies were the main focus of the President’s address. Regarding the fight against corruption, he noted that over recent years, there had been “a fair number of headline-making cases” against officials at the local, regional and federal levels. He stressed that “neither high-level positions, nor connections in high places or past services can serve as a shield for corrupt officials”, adding that no one has the right to pronounce “a person’s guilt or innocence” before the court has delivered its verdict. He stressed that “the fight against corruption is not a show”.

On 28 December 2016, after nearly 10 years, the Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office closed the criminal case against Bogoljub Karic, his company, and six other individuals, citing lack of evidence. He was suspected of financial abuses which resulted in profits of USD21,980,551. According to the initial charges, the profit was based on the difference between the real and falsely presented values of investments in the form of equipment.

Tatjana Babic, the Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency, resigned in late December 2016 due to having been appointed a judge of the Serbian Constitutional Court. The Deputy Director of the Agency, Vladan Joksimovic, will serve as the Acting Director until the recruitment process for the new Director is finalised. At the same time, a member of the Agency’s Managing Board, Dragan Kolaric, also resigned for the same reasons leaving the Managing Board with only 5 members as other Board members who left in the previous period have not been replaced. President Tomislav Nikolic has nominated two candidates for the Board, though both are strongly opposed by civil society and experts.

The signing of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy reflects the Government’s commitment to fight against corruption. The Prime Minister has announced that a new post of counsellor in charge of anti-corruption will be created within the Presidency of the Government. The counsellor will have the task to liaise with all the other parties involved in the fight against corruption in Tunisia.

On 9 December 2016, the National Anti-Corruption Strategy was officially signed by the Head of Government, the President of the Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC), the President of the Tunisian Journalists Union, a representative of the National Commission of the Judicial Order and a representative of civil society. The Strategy includes actions at different levels in order to eradicate corruption from the society and the administration.

After appointing the former Deputy Minister of Justice Anon Yanchuk as the Head of the National Agency for Tracing, Recovery and Management of Crime Assets Ukraine's, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved an activity plan to provide for the functioning of the above mentioned Agency.

The head of Ukraine's central election commission, Mykhailo Okhendovskyi, did not come to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine for interrogation next day after he was accused of bribery in large amounts on 13 December. He is charged with receiving bribes over 160 thousand dollars in total.

Within the first year of operational activities, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine managed to prevent embezzlement of more than 580 million USD of State funds through its investigations. Two hundred and fifty six cases were open and nearly 100 million UAH worth of public property taken through the criminal schemes was returned.