Skopje, 7 September 2023 (MIA) – When it comes to such an exceptionally important legislation, which is the pillar of the judiciary in the country, we believe the manner in which the amendments were adopted did not allow for a public debate to take place, nor an analysis of the consequences of the amendments, and all of that creates doubts in us and a high risk of political deals and influence peddling, said the head of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC), Biljana Ivanovska, on Thursday.

In a media statement after the reception in Parliament on the occasion of September 8 – Independence Day, Ivanovska noted that the reduction of sanctions in certain articles fails to contribute to the strengthened fight against corruption. 

“We came out with a statement that the reduction of sanctions in articles 353, 353-c and 394 for criminal association fail to contribute to the strengthened fight against corruption, on the contrary, it continues to be only declarative,” said Ivanovska.

Ivanovska said that the Ministry of Justice requested the SCPC to come out with an opinion on the draft version of the Criminal Code by September 20.

“This is something new. We don’t think it’s okay to adopt legislation overnight with such speed,” stressed Ivanovska.

On Wednesday, Parliament adopted the amendments to the Criminal Code which reduce the possible sanctions for officials.

Photo: MIA Archive