North Macedonia Anti Corruption Institutional Framework
Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International: |
35/100 (2019) |
Government Effectiveness (from -2,5 to +2,5), World Governance Indicators by World Bank: |
+0,14 (2017) |
Control of Corruption (from -2,5 to +2,5), World Governance Indicators by World Bank: |
-0,31 (2017) |
Index of Economic Freedom by Heritage Foundation: |
71.3/100 (2018) |
Corruption (1=best, 7=worst), Nations in Transit by Freedom House: |
4.75 (2018) |
Democracy Score (1=best, 7=worst), Nations in Transit by Freedom House: |
4.36 (2018) |
The main anti-corruption policy document is the State Program for Prevention and Repression of Corruption and Prevention and Reduction of Conflict of Interest, issued by the specialized anticorruption body in the country, the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. The SCPC is a coordinative body responsible for the overall implementation of the Programs and Action Plans of the Programs, together with the other relevant institutions, including CSOs, which are responsible for the monitoring of the program implementation.
The SCPC is autonomous and independent in exercising its function, meaning that the Commission is detached from the government, and other Constitutional powers. At the central governmental level, the SCPC functions as a specialized anti-corruption institution responsible for prevention of corruption and conflict of interests in the public administration. Although the Commission does not have traditional investigative or prosecutorial powers, it has the power to request public officials or responsible persons in public enterprises suspected of corruption crimes to submit to the Commission information about his/her assets or other data relevant for the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption. Also, the Commission is the competent authority for the implementation of the relevant legislation on conflict of interest.
Specialized law enforcement bodies dedicated to the fight against middle-level and high-level corruption have been established in North Macedonia. The main anti-corruption body in charge of carrying out important high-level corruption investigations is the Sector for Organized Crime and Corruption, a department under the Sector for Internal Control and Professional Standards within Ministry of Interior. The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Fighting Organized Crime and Corruption is an autonomous state authority which prosecutes the perpetrators of corruption acts as determined by law, having jurisdiction on the entire territory of the country. The Criminal Court in Skopje has a specialized department for proceeding cases of organized crime and corruption with jurisdiction over the entire territory of the country.