Albania

PACE co-rapporteurs carried out a monitoring visit to Albania

PACE co-rapporteurs carried out a monitoring visit to Albania against a background of the Democratic Party’s protests and boycott of the work of parliament. Andrej Hunko (Germany, UEL) and Joseph O'Reilly (Ireland, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Albania, held high-level meetings with representatives of the authorities. The Co-rapporteurs have expressed their concerns on the increased political tension in Albania stating that this is hindering the positive impetus for reforms that they witnessed during their October 2016 visit and reiterated that any boycott will have serious consequences for the country. They called on all forces to renew the political dialogue in Parliament and engage in the preparation of the electoral process so that elections can take place as constitutionally foreseen. They stressed the importance of the implementation without delay of the justice reform which will have far-reaching implications for the country concerning the independence and efficiency of the justice system, the fight against political interference in the judicial process and the fight against corruption and organised crime. In a related matter, the co-rapporteurs consider essential the implementation of the so-called decriminalisation legislation to cut the links between public officials with criminal elements.

February 2017
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Former Head of the Prison Bureau arrested on graft charges

Former Head of the Prison Bureau arrested on graft charges. Mr Artur Zoto was arrested following a remand order issued by the Serious Crimes Court and is now facing charges of “passive corruption”. Prosecutors have been investigating him since the arrest of his Deputy General Director for alleged involvement in the approval of suspicious tenders.  Mr Zoto had served as a Director General of Prisons from October 2013 to July 2016 when he resigned for personal reasons.  

February 2017
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Draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law

Draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law on organisation and functioning of the Judicial Police were presented and discussed at a roundtable consultation. The Parliamentary Commission "On Legal Issues, Public Administration and Human Rights" organised public roundtables to discuss the draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and to the law “On organisation and functioning of the Judicial Police”. Members of Parliament, judges, prosecutors, representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Financial Intelligence Unit, the Chamber of Advocates, and of civil society organisations shared different views and made comments on both draft proposals. Recommendations will be further assessed during the review of the draft legislation by the Parliamentary Commission. 

February 2017
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Armenia

Armenia Launches anti-Corruption Information Campaign

Armenia Launches anti-Corruption Information Campaign. On 1 February 2017, the EU Delegation in Armenia in cooperation with the Government of Armenia launched a communication campaign “Stop the Flow of Corruption” aimed at raising public awareness of the adverse impact of corruption and highlighting EU’s support to the Armenian Government’s efforts to fight corruption. The campaign will continue throughout 2017, bringing attention to different aspects of corruption and showing how it is being fought in Armenia.

February 2017
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Armenian Government to Create Anti-Corruption Agency

Armenian Government to Create Anti-Corruption Agency. On 7 February, the Prime Minister declared that his government was planning to establish a new independent agency tasked with preventing and combatting corruption based on the terms of reference of the State Commission for the Ethics of High-Ranking Officials. Mr Karapetian stated that “based on discussions held by the Anti-Corruption Council” the government is now drafting “important bills aimed at reducing corruption risks in all spheres of public life.” According to the PM, the new legislative package foresees a full revision of the existing mechanisms for income declarations and conflicts of interest. He also stated that the authorities were looking into ways of improving the quality of investigations into alleged corruption cases.

February 2017
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Prime Minister stresses the need to initiate legislative changes

Prime Minister stresses the need to initiate legislative changes aimed at criminalising the offense of deliberate evasion of taxes, duties or other mandatory payments during a regular Cabinet meeting on 2 February. The PM’s first recommendation concerned the measures aimed at encouraging and developing entrepreneurship ,“we must initiate legislative changes to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia aimed at criminalising the offense of deliberate evasion of taxes, duties or other mandatory payments” he said.

Karen Karapetyan also called for systemic and clear-cut solutions to minimise corruption risks related to the process of sending parcels to prisoners and proportional distribution of inmates in penitentiary institutions. The Minister of Justice was tasked to take necessary measures within a month.

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AZERBAIJAN

Azerbaijani journalist Elchin Ismayilli detained

Azerbaijani journalist Elchin Ismayilli detained. On 17 February, Elchin Ismayilli, founder and editor of Kend.info, an on-line news portal known for its reporting on corruption and human rights violations in the Ismayilli region of Azerbaijan, was detained by police. He is accused of threatening a local government employee, and has been charged with extortion and abuse of a position of influence. Mr Ismayilli denies all the charges. On 18 February, the Nasimi District court sentenced Mr Ismayilli to pre-trial detention for an initial period of 24 days. He is currently being held in the Kurdakhani pretrial detention centre.

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President Aliyev appoints his wife as First Vice President of Azerbaijan

President Aliyev appoints his wife as First Vice President of Azerbaijan. A presidential decree regarding this appointment was issued on 21 February. The post of First Vice President, who is next in line in the country’s power hierarchy, was established by the 2016 referendum on constitutional modifications. The Venice Commission, in its preliminary opinion regarding the amendments, indicated that the introduction of the figure of unelected First-Vice President was ‘incompatible with democratic standards’. 

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President recommends decriminalisation of crimes in economic field

President recommends decriminalisation of crimes in economic field. The recommendation was contained in the Decree “On improvement of operation of penitentiary, humanization of penal policies and extension of application of alternative sanctions and non-custodial procedural measures of restraint”. The Decree recommended the Supreme Court and the General Prosecutor’s Office, and instructed the Ministry of Justice to elaborate and submit to the President the draft laws on this matter within two months. Previously, the 2016 amendments to Criminal Code increased the thresholds for decriminalisation of certain economic crimes, and introduced pecuniary sanctions as alternatives to deprivation of liberty. 

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BELARUS

Belarus' Investigation Committee and Georgia's Interior Ministry to step up cooperation

Belarus' Investigation Committee and Georgia's Interior Ministry to step up cooperation. Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Belarus and the Minister of Interior of Georgia signed a memorandum on the joint efforts in fight against crime and corruption. Among other things, the memorandum implies organisation of meetings and consultations between the experts and heads of institutions on the issues of common interests as well as the mutual exchange of positive experience and support regular contacts between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation against crime signed in 2015.

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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Bosnia indicts sixteen for banking scam

Bosnia indicts sixteen for banking scam. Prosecutors claim that the suspects issued fraudulent loans and guarantees on behalf of Bobar Banka to companies linked to the owner of the bank while knowing those clients were unable to pay back. The suspects are charged with organized crime, misuse of office and money laundering. Prosecutors called it the biggest financial scam in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-war history with a collapsed bank and the theft of 123 million KM (€ 63 million).

March 2017
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US puts Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on blacklist of major money laundering countries

US puts Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on blacklist of major money laundering countries. The US department of state has included Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia in its latest list of major money laundering countries, as their financial institutions have allegedly been involved in currency transactions involving significant proceeds from drug trafficking. The three Balkan countries have been identified as part of a route for international drug trafficking, but not as major drug producers.

March 2017
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BULGARIA

EU report on progress in Bulgaria

EU report on progress in Bulgaria in the area of judicial reform, fight against corruption and fight against organised crime. The report published by the European Commission assesses progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism which was set up after the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union in 2007. The report says that the overall institutional set-up to fight corruption in Bulgaria remains fragmented and therefore largely ineffective. As a consequence, generalised problems of corruption at lower levels in the public administration also remain a challenge. Also the report underlines that the government's draft anti-corruption law has not been adopted and consequently the proposed new unified anti-corruption authority has not been set up. This would be responsible for the control of conflicts of interest and property declarations of high-ranking officials and administrative investigations into possible corruption and illicit enrichment.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

GRECO issues compliance report on transparency of political funding

GRECO issues compliance report on transparency of political funding and the criminalisation of corruption in the Czech Republic. In its report, GRECO concludes that the Czech Republic has made significant progress to improve the transparency of political funding, but regrets the lack of progress in implementing its pending recommendations concerning the criminalisation of corruption. GRECO concluded that nine of the thirteen recommendations contained in the Third Round Evaluation Report were implemented and asked the Czech Republic to submit to it by 30 September 2017 a report on the measures taken for the purposes of implementing the outstanding recommendations.

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The Czech Financial Authority will not launch across-the-board checks

Untaxed one-crown bonds are legal, no check planned. The Czech Financial Authority will not launch across-the-board checks focusing on untaxed yields from one-crown bonds, Finance Minister has written in his reply to the Prime Minister’s question whether the Financial Authority had checked the bonds in question, daily Denik reported. The Finance Minister wrote that the Financial Authority does not find the practice of untaxed yields unlawful.

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Bitcoin: Czech Republic Sets Up New Regulations

Bitcoin: Czech Republic Sets Up New Regulations. The Ministry of Finance has already prepared an anti-money laundering law requiring any exchanges involving any type of currency to determine the identity of customers. This law certainly applies to crypto-currency users who will be required to reveal their real identity. 

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georgia

Georgian Parliament adopted a draft law establishing a covert surveillance agency

Georgian Parliament adopted a draft law establishing a covert surveillance agency under the auspices of the State Security Service. The agency will manage and oversee the surveillance of phone communications, computer systems, post-office transfers, covert audio, photo and video surveillance.

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New regulations to improve payment system in Georgia

New regulations to improve payment system in Georgia. Georgia is taking actions to strengthen confidence in relationships between payment service providers and the customers and to ensure the financial transactions are quick, safe and reliable for them. New regulations adopted by the National Bank of Georgia will come into effect starting on March 16, many of which aim to provide for transparency and customers’ rights protection. Payment service providers will be obliged to respond and react to customers’ complains within seven working days.

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jordan

The Prime Minister urges the Anti-Corruption Commission

The Prime Minister urges the Anti-Corruption Commission to speed-up the examination of graft files referred to it. In a meeting with the President of the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC), the Jordanian Prime Minister called on the Commission to provide the Cabinet with a timeframe for processing the thirty graft files that the government referred to it, in order to send suspects to court. The Prime Minister recalled that the government is highly committed to fighting against financial and administrative corruption and promoting the values of integrity in all public agencies. 

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The Labour Ministry and Anti-Corruption Commission cooperate to fight corruption of public employees

The Labour Ministry and Anti-Corruption Commission cooperate to fight corruption of public employees. The Labour Minister and the President of the Jordan Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) joined efforts to combat corruption and related violations by public sector employees. The Minister praised JIACC work and the recent visits to government agencies, including labour departments carried out in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Law. Such field visits will continue in future.

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kosovo*

Financial Intelligence Unit joins Egmont Group

Financial Intelligence Unit joins Egmont Group. On 1 February the FlU of Kosovo* was endorsed as a new member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (FlUs) which met in Doha, Qatar to discuss the challenges faced by FlUs in combating money laundering, associated predicate offences and terrorist financing. Kosovo* became the 153rd member of the Egmont Group, a worldwide network of Financial Intelligence Units.

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Special Prosecution filed indictment against two persons charged for criminal offenses related to corruption.

Special Prosecution filed indictment against two persons charged for criminal offenses related to corruption. Indictments were filed against an official of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and L.D. owner of the company “Management Development Association” (MDA). Both are charged with the criminal offense of abusing official position or authority in accomplice. The defendants  have allegedly abused  their official duty by exchanging information and documents related to the tendering process for the EU-funded project “Increasing of competitiveness and export promotion” in 2013, by adjusting conditions and criteria of the tender in the interest of the defendant`s company.

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Kosovo* and EU held 1st SAA Sub-committee on Justice, Freedom and Security.

Kosovo* and EU held 1st SAA Sub-committee on Justice, Freedom and Security. The EU and Kosovo* officials met in Pristina to discuss the developments in the areas of Justice, Freedom and Security since the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in April 2016. They discussed progress related to the track record on investigations, final court rulings and confiscations in serious organised crime and corruption cases and encourage continued prioritisation of this work and the need to focus on preventive measures. The EU underlined the importance of stepping up efforts in increasing transparency and accountability of political party finances. With a view to combatting corruption within public procurement, the steps to strengthen transparency by operationalising e-procurement were noted.

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KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyz opposition leader Omurbek Tekebayev arrested on corruption charges.

Kyrgyz opposition leader Omurbek Tekebayev arrested on corruption charges. Presidential hopeful Omurbek Tekebayev, who leads the Ata Meken party’s parliamentary faction, was arrested by Kyrgyzstan’s state security service on 26 February 2017, a move that may eliminate him as a contender for presidency in the upcoming election. He is accused of taking a $1 million bribe from a Russian telecoms tycoon in 2010, promising the investor that he would be able to take over a local company.

26 February 2017
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The Ministry of Finance adopts and publishesits Anti-corruption Action Plan for 2017.

The Ministry of Finance adopts and publishesits Anti-corruption Action Plan for 2017. The Action Plan has been developed in  accordance with Government Decision No. 170 of 30 March 2015 on “The Action Plan of government agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic for the implementation of the State Anti-corruption Strategy of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2015-2017” and Government Decision No.44 of 12 February 2014 on “The methodology for development and implementation of institutional Action Plans for fighting corruption and methodology for AC monitoring and assessment”

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President Atambayev sends the new Conflict of Interest Law back to Parliament with objections

President Atambayev sends the new Conflict of Interest Law back to Parliament with objections. The President’s office stated that, the Law as adopted, is insufficiently clear and its vague formulations would lead to inevitable problems in its implementation. Furthermore, the President noted the need to harmonise the timeframe of enactment with the corresponding implementing rules and regulations which provide mechanisms for their enforcement.

15 February 2017
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republic of moldova

Investigator of the Center for Combating Human Trafficking arrested for corruption

Investigator of the Center for Combating Human Trafficking arrested for corruption. It is suspected that, along with other employees of the Center, he demanded 30 000 euros to dismiss a criminal case, in which a relative of the victim was involved.

23 February 2017
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Prosecutor General to initiate criminal proceedings against a judge for abuse of power

Prosecutor General to initiate criminal proceedings against a judge for abuse of power. Prosecutor General, Eduard Harunjen, will ask the consent of the Superior Council of Magistracy to initiate criminal proceedings and call to criminal account a judge for abuse of power.

27 February 2017
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NATO to open a new Office in Moldova

NATO to open a new Office in Moldova. NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed the Moldovan President Igor Dodon to NATO headquarters on 7 February 2017 for talks on the partnership between the Alliance and the Republic of Moldova. Ms Gottemoeller said that Moldova could count on NATO friendship, that the alliance supported a stable and neutral Moldova, and that it was important that the country continued reforms, especially in strengthening the judicial system and fighting corruption.

07 February 2017
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montenegro

Montenegro is developing institutional structure for whistleblower's protection

Montenegro is developing institutional structure for whistleblower's protection. As a result of the implementation of provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption, state institutions have appointed 610 persons for receiving and processing reports of whistleblowers. During 2016, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption received 56 reports of corruption, in 23 of which persons reporting corruption wanted to remain anonymous.

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Council of Europe provided expert assistance in development of the new Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing

Council of Europe provided expert assistance in development of the new Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing. On 6-10 February 2017, the EU/CoE Action against Economic Crime in Montenegro (AEC-MNE) organised the first expert mission, in order to support the activities of the Working Group set up by the Montenegrin authorities for the development of the new Law on Prevention of ML/TF. The four day mission encompassed assistance to the Working Group in ensuring alignment of the new law with FATF standards and MONEYVAL recommendations, as well as meeting with high officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Prosecution and Police in order to discuss future cooperation in drafting of the Law on International Restrictive Measures.

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The first high-corruption conviction in Montenegro may remain unimplemented

The first high-corruption conviction in Montenegro may remain unimplemented. The son of ex-president of Serbia and Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic – Miloš Marovic, convicted to a year in prison for corruption and abuse of official position, is trying to avoid implementation of the court decision by seeking Serbian citizenship.

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morocco

A counsellor of the Court of Cassation transferred to the King’s General Prosecutor for corruption

A counsellor of the Court of Cassation transferred to the King’s General Prosecutor for corruption. Rabat Court of Appeal has transferred to the King’s General Prosecutor the high-level case of a counsellor of the Court of Cassation suspected of corruption. The King’s General Prosecutor will decide whether to submit the case to the criminal court of the Court of Cassation. 

February 2017
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IMF stressed the need for effective control mechanisms for Islamic banking

IMF stressed the need for effective control mechanisms for Islamic banking. While Islamic banking is quickly growing in the country, the International Monetary Fund has reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with Morocco and other countries with an Islamic banking system in order to ensure financial stability. IMF highlighted the need to have a judicial framework, a financial security system, a monitoring mechanism against money laundering and terrorism financing, specifically adapted to this banking system type. 

February 2017
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romania

European Commission published the report on progress in Romania with judicial reform, the fight against corruption and the fight against organised crime

European Commission published the report on progress in Romania with judicial reform, the fight against corruption and the fight against organised crime. The report assessed progress in Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, which was set up at the accession of Romania to the European Union in 20071 to address shortcomings in judicial reform and the fight against corruption. The rapport underlines that corruption is a deep-seated societal problem with consequences for both governance and the economy.  According to the report the legislative and policy framework to fight and prevent corruption is in place with the entry into force of the new Criminal Code (2014) and adoption of the anti-corruption strategy for 2016-2020, and now the main challenge will be to effectively implement the measures, in all sectors and including at local level, where many observers see corruption risks as particularly high.

February 2017
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Senate’s Legal Committee passes EO 14 repealing the controversial criminal law amendments

Senate’s Legal Committee passes EO 14 repealing the controversial criminal law amendments. On 15 February evening, the Senate’s Legal Committee unanimously passed a positive report with amendments to a draft approving emergency ordinance 14/2017, which repeals the controversial emergency ordinance No. 13 that has taken people to the streets in protest.

February 2017
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Romania to hold national referendum over anti-corruption reforms

Romania to hold national referendum over anti-corruption reforms. On 13 February, Parliament unanimously approved the idea of President Iohannis to hold a nationwide referendum on the fight against corruption to see "the sovereign desire of Romanians," over the anti-graft reforms. According to media reports, the President must now formulate the question on which the citizens have to decide and fix a date. According to the law, a 30-day campaign must take place before the vote.

February 2017
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russian federation

Council of Europe organised workshops on corruption typologies and impact of inspections on businesses at municipal level

Council of Europe organised workshops on corruption typologies and impact of inspections on businesses at municipal level. On 13-14 February 2017, the Council of Europe Project on “Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs in the Russian Federation from Corrupt Practices at Municipal Level” – PRECOP II held workshops in Tyumen to discuss main findings and recommendations of the draft Studies on corruption typologies affecting entrepreneurs at the regional and municipal levels, and on impact of inspections on regular business processes at municipal level in the Russian Federation. The draft Studies were prepared by the Council of Europe national and international experts with inputs from members of relevant Working Groups established by the project. The workshops brought together representatives of Federal and regional Business Ombudsmen Offices of four project pilot regions and eighteen other regions, as well as high-level representatives of executive and legislative bodies, legal firms, and business associations of the Tyumen region.

February 2017
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Transparency International report on the procurement in the Russian Armed Forces

Transparency International report on the procurement in the Russian Armed Forces. The report underlines that only about one fifth of the information about the procurement is public. According to the report, Russia’s defence procurement is lacking military precision in the procurement process. The authors of the report say that defence procurement is not an exception and abuse/manipulation of information, conflict of interest and discriminatory treatment in the procurement process are fairly common practices.

February 2017
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Meeting of the Anti-Corruption Council Presidium held on 17 February 2017

Meeting of the Anti-Corruption Council Presidium held on 17 February 2017. The Presidium members discussed the results of cooperation with GRECO and Russia’s participation in the OECD Working Group on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials. In addition, the problem areas in Russia’s work with these international anti-corruption organisations and set directions for further participation were discussed. 

February 2017
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serbia

Civil Servants Arrested for Abuse of Position

Civil Servants Arrested for Abuse of Position. The police arrested 53 people and filed criminal charges against another 25 who are suspected of various abuses of position and inflicting damages of around 10 million EUR, as announced by the Internal Affairs Minister, Nebojsa Stefanovic. The move comes with a presidential election expected to take place next month, with current Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic planning to run for head of State.

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Serbian President’s Staff Proposed as Anti-Corruption Officials

Serbian President’s Staff Proposed as Anti-Corruption Officials. Concerns have been raised about two proposed candidates for the board of the Anti-Corruption Agency who were put forward earlier this month by President Tomislav Nikolic because both of them work for the presidency. The Agency’s board should have nine members, and its decisions can only be valid if taken by a quorum of five members. At present, the board only has six members. 

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Numbers Show Serbia’s Stalling Anti-Corruption Fight

Numbers Show Serbia’s Stalling Anti-Corruption Fight. According to the Ministry of Interior data obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting Serbia through a Freedom of Information request, 6,179 individuals were reported to the police over ten criminal acts related to corruption, including bribery, abuse of office, and embezzlement, between 2013 and 2015. During the same period of time, Serbian prosecutors indicted almost 3,000 individuals for the same crimes. Despite the large number of indictments, prison time is rare. Only around half of all indictments ended up with convictions. The vast majority of those, 1,268, resulted in suspended sentences with fines. Only 538 people ended up with prison sentences.

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THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The Special Prosecutor’s Office launches “Trust” case, for ELEM’s tender worth millions

The Special Prosecutor’s Office launches “Trust” case, for ELEM’s tender worth millions. The new investigation looks into a tender procedure conducted in 2011 by the state company “Macedonian Power Plants” (ELEM) for mining coal and waste from the Suvodol mine in Bitola and is based on the conversations from the wire-tapping. A consortium formed by three companies – “Transmet”, “Sileks” and “Veto” forged documents regarding ownership of the necessary mechanization and equipped personnel and managed to win the tender worth 1 billion and 60 million denars (about 17.235.772 EUR). Three individuals from the companies and three other individuals are suspects in the case. The SPO issued a request to the Basic Court for detention of two of the suspects.

February 2017
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tunisia

Terrorism: Tunisia fears the return of foreign fighters

Terrorism: Tunisia fears the return of foreign fighters. While the fight against Islamic State is progressing in Syria and Iraq, the return of foreign fighters poses a serious security threat to Tunisia. Tunisia is the first country of origin of foreign fighters who joined ISIS. Over the past few years, Tunisia has been the target of several terrorist attacks. While the government stresses the need for all returning fighters to go to courts and is faced with difficulties in building cases and collecting evidences against them, human rights activists warn that leaving no way out to jihadists might cause the cycle of radicalisation to continue. 

February 2017
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An organic law to protect whistleblowers is adopted by the Parliament

An organic law to protect whistleblowers is adopted by the Parliament. The Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP) has adopted an organic law to establish mechanisms to promote the reporting of corruption, protect whistleblowers and establish sanctions for revealing whistleblower’s identity. ARP President praised the adoption of this law, which represents a major step in the fight against corruption and will be followed by other laws under preparation on illicit enrichment and conflict of interest. 

February 2017
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Council of Europe recommendations support the fight against corruption in Tunisia

Council of Europe recommendations support the fight against corruption in Tunisia. In the framework of the SNAC 2 Project, an assessment of the Tunisian anti-corruption framework put forward 69 recommendations to strengthen the prevention and fight against corruption. The conclusions of the assessment, which was carried out pursuing the methodology of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe, were officially presented on 1 February 2017. The conference was opened by the Tunisian Minister of Public Function and Governance, the President of the Anti-Corruption Authority (INLUCC) and the Head of Action against Crime Department of the Council of Europe. The recommendations formulated by Council of Europe experts covered a wide range of sectors, with a view to contributing to ongoing reforms carried out by Tunisian authorities to strengthen their anti-corruption framework.

February 2017
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ukraine

EU alarmed with possibility of amending anti-corruption legislation

EU alarmed with possibility of amending anti-corruption legislation. Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine expressed alarm that proposed bills to amend the anti-corruption legislation could weaken the fight against corruption. Namely, bill No. 5430 amending the law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in part of strengthening public control in the anti-corruption activities is not in line with the key requirement about transparent and independent audit of NABU with participation of representatives of international society. Bill No. 5672 amending the law on preventing corruption also poses problems. “Managers of state-run enterprises are not to avoid filing e-declarations," the EU Delegation to Ukraine said.

February 2017
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EU Delegation calls for prompt establishment of High Anti-Corruption Court

EU Delegation calls for prompt establishment of High Anti-Corruption Court. At a forum devoted to priorities of the reform process in Ukraine, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli stated that fight against corruption in Ukraine heads in the right direction, so now it is necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of newly created bodies and establish the anti-corruption court as soon as possible. 

February 2017
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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

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