Gostivar, 12 September 2023 (MIA) - The legal team at the Embassy is looking into the amendments to the Criminal Code, and as the State Department said, it is important to follow the procedures that are within the legal system under Macedonian law, U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia, Angela Aggeler, told reporters on Tuesday, asked to comment on the adoption of the amendments to the Criminal Code under fast-track procedure. 

"We responded to that question on Friday. The legal team at the Embassy is looking at it, I have not seen it and read it myself, so I can't comment on it. As we said in the statement, as the State Department said, we hope it has followed the procedures that are within the legal system under Macedonian law," the Ambassador said Tuesday at the start of works on the Corridor 8 construction project. 

Corruption has the potential to undermine North Macedonia’s strategic ambitions, the U.S. Department of State’s press office told Voice of America in Macedonian, when asked if the amendments to the Criminal Code lowering the sanctions for abuse of official position and criminal association would make the United States efforts to aid the country in the fight against corruption more difficult. 

“We encourage North Macedonia to fulfill its promises over the fight against corruption. The leaders of North Macedonia must demonstrate firm, tangible, anti-corruption results by boosting institutional independence and preventing political meddling, especially in the judiciary, which is essential for the fulfillment of the EU accession goals and building the citizen’s trust in the government,” the State Department told the Voice of America.

With the EU flag and under fast-track procedure, Parliament adopted last week the amendments to the Criminal code, which foresee reduced sanctions for officials that abuse their position. President Stevo Pendarovski signed the amendments into law.

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