Criminal Code Changes Criticised at Debate

During Tuesday’s debate on the Criminal Code changes, organised by the Solution Balkan Centre for Constructive Policies, Robert Scott Heaslet, Senior Resident Director for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in North Macedonia, said the changes had been adopted hastily, without consultation with experts and without organisation of a wide public debate.

According to State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) President Biljana Ivanovska, the changes will result in a higher level of impunity. “Everything we’ve been hearing by public office holders about them being ready to fight corruption is already considered by us to be just declarative,” she pointed out. In her view, instead of reducing the sentence for people who break laws, what should have been done was introducing repercussions for judges and prosecutors whose actions are not within the deadlines.

Aleksandra Cvetanovska of the Association of Young Attorneys said more than 80 persons charged in the TNT, Thaler, Vault, Design, Toplik, Titanic, Tenders, Titanic 2, Trajectory, Spanish Steps, Target Fortress and Stevco Jakimovski cases would not be criminally prosecuted.