Skopje, 8 September 2023 (MIA) - The Criminal Code amendments do not constitute a pardon. We cannot build a justice system based on provisions from the 19th century or the communist regime, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Friday and added there was no 'bargaining' over the Code amendments.

PM Kovachevski said the amendments ensured increased efficiency and effectiveness of court procedures, increase the number of punishable crimes and frequency of sentences not only their duration, but also lead to enlarged confiscation.

"If there is pardoning, someone would have been pardoned even today because the President has already signed the law. First, there will be no pardoning for anyone, as the President said it, and he is a law professor. What was the situation in the past? All cases were processed under one article - abuse of office. Now, there is specification of what the person did exactly. There were cases with ten defendants indicted under the same article and ten years of litigation," said Kovachevski and reiterated that the amendments represent an alignment with EU Directive 42-2014 on enlarged property confiscation.

According to him, one of the long-standing discussions in the society has been the extended duration of proceedings and detentions.

"These changes relate to swiftness of proceedings, identification of the specific crimes and confiscation of unlawfully acquired property," said Kovachevski.

On the public perception over the possible bargaining among parties, the PM said the amendments were presented at a plenary session and then put for discussion at the Committee for European Affairs, broadcast live on TV.

"This was followed by a discussion at a plenary session. If such bargaining ever existed, and it didn't, the entire procedure would have happened differently. The opposition has publicly presented its opinion, the ruling coalition as well, some of the coalition partners have different views, but everyone agrees that the country must align its legislation with the EU, so that justice is reached through swift, efficient and effective proceedings via enlarged confiscation. These changes have been made so that no one asks 'nobody is looking at his/her property and no one asks how that property was acquired'. If you look at legislation in Germany or Slovenia, and look at the duration of prison sentences, you will find something similar to what we have with these changes. A completely new Criminal Code will follow, it is currently drafted, and it is completely aligned with the legislation of the most developed EU countries," said Kovachevski.

Photo: MIA archive/screenshot