A former top Montenegrin politician was sentenced to 22 months in prison for corruption after striking a plea agreement with prosecutors, a court said Monday. Svetozar Marovic, who served as president both of Montenegro and the last version of the former Yugoslavia, will spend 22 months in prison and return 1.1 million euros (1.2 million […]

New survey blames high rate of people working in hidden economy in Balkan region on mistrust in state institutions – and unfair tax systems that penalise those on low incomes. A lack of trust in institutions and unfair taxation systems in Southeast Europe have contributed to the widespread problem of the “shadow” economy and undeclared […]

The prosecution office in charge of investigations says its competencies are in limbo because of the incomplete state of judicial reform in Albania. Albanian law experts are expressing alarm over what they call “MPs’ negligence” in providing constitutional transitory arrangements designed to enable the normal work of current law institution until new ones are created. […]

Romania’s Interior Minister Petre Toba resigned on Thursday pending a criminal investigation against him over allegations of shielding suspects in a case involving suspected embezzlement and abuse of power. Anti-corruption prosecutors asked President Klaus Iohannis earlier in the day to endorse a probe against Toba. He is the latest senior figure to be investigated in […]

Political leaders of crisis-hit Macedonia agreed late on Wednesday to hold elections in December that have already been delayed twice following international pressure to ensure a free and fair vote. Both the ruling conservatives VMRO-DPMNE and the main opposition Social Democrats (SDSM), as well as two major ethnic Albanian parties, settled on December 11 legislative […]

Romanian prosecutors held two brokers for committing several crimes, including capital market manipulation, according to a statement from the Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).   Stefan Terziu and Andrei Terziu were charged with having created an organised criminal group, capital market manipulation, money laundering, fraud, and forging private documents. Between 2008 and […]

Albania’s parliament has adopted a law on introducing vetting for judges and prosecutors, despite opposition claims that it will result in a ‘witch hunt’. With 88 votes for and one abstention out of 140, Albania’s parliament on Tuesday passed a Law on Reassessment of Judges and Prosecutors, known as the “vetting” law. “Albanians have got […]

A businessman detained in Ukraine, Veaceslav Platon, has been extradited to Moldova and transferred to Chisinau on Monday late in the evening, according to Moldova’s Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO). Platon was accused of large-scale embezzlement, bank theft and money-laundering charges upon his arrival there. Chisinau’s Buiucani district court is reviewing a petition filed by prosecutors […]

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects to invest a record-high 200 million euro ($223.7 million) in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016 and a similar amount next year in a bid to unlock the country’s growth potential, the lender’s president Suma Chakrabarti told SeeNews.   “We are supporting the construction of Corridor Vc,a […]

Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors say six senior interior ministry officials have been indicted on suspicion of embezzlement and making false statements. Prosecutors said Monday they had indicted Rares Vaduva, head of an intelligence agency subordinated to the Interior Ministry, and five former senior officials from the same department for allegedly abusing ministry funds, abusing their position […]