Skopje, 9 May 2023 (MIA) — The state implemented only 10 percent of the activities in its National Anti-corruption Strategy in 2022, according to Transparency International Macedonia in its April 2023 corruption barometer report.

"The reason for this low implementation of the national strategy, according to Biljana Ivanovska, the first president of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, is the lack of commitment by institutions, frequent changes of government ministers, and a partisan administration," the report says.

Its section titled "'Shady' Events this April" lists Sasho Mijalkov's criminal charges expiring in the "Titanic 2" case.

According to the Transparency report, April 7, 2023, was the date when the statute of limitations expired for the criminal prosecution of Sasho Mijalkov, the former head of the secret police, charged with bribery.

"Ten years have passed, which is double the time of the maximum sentence (of five years) for this crime, counted from the time of its being committed," the corruption watchdog says.

Pointing to the inefficiency of the judiciary as the reason for the statute of limitations expiring, the report says the first hearing in this case was held on April 24, 2018.

"Five years later, for various reasons, the case has failed to reach a final verdict," the report says.

Transparency International Macedonia also highlights as 'shady' the irregularities described in the 2021 Audit Report on the state-owned MEPSO Electricity Transmission System Operator.

The auditors gave "an unfavorable opinion on the reality and objectivity of the financial statements for 2021." They also expressed reserve regarding the company's compliance with legal regulations, guidelines and established policies amid the energy crisis, the corruption watchdog notes.

The April corruption barometer report includes on its 'shady' list the dismissal of the Judicial Council chairwoman Vesna Dameva as well as the Council of Public Prosecutors' reaction to prosecutor Lenche Ristovska's critical remark that the council was pervaded by clientelism.

In the report's "Clear Events this April" section, the corruption watchdog welcomes Ristovska's criticism of the Council of Public Prosecutors as well as the criminal charges filed against an Agency for Real Estate Cadastre employee for abuse of office. mr/