Tetovo, 13 December 2024 (MIA) — The judiciary needs to be independent and prosecute every instance of corruption, EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas told a press conference Friday when asked to comment on former Deputy PM Artan Grubi and Appellate Court judge Enver Bexheti's recent designation for significant corruption by the US Department of State.

According to Ambassador Rokas, the United States took a significant step in the fight against corruption by placing Grubi and Bexheti on its blacklist. Now, he added, the judiciary needed to take action against all kinds of corruption in the country.

He recalled that the European Union had already given the country guidelines on how to do this.

"There are plenty of recommendations from the EU, including the peer review mechanism, where we had 40 recommendations of how we can ensure that the judiciary can be solidified and be fully independent to act and do its role," Rokas said.

"This is a key priority for the country's future accession to the EU," he said.

Rokas pointed out that the judiciary needed to be independent and strong so the country could move ahead and prosper. This would also raise public trust in the legal system, he added.

"So we hope this will be pursued very strongly in the coming months," the EU Delegation's head of mission said.

In response to a reporter's question about recent searches carried out at the Judicial Council, he said the Public Prosecutor's Office should investigate all corruption allegations brought to its attention.

"It is the essence of a well-functioning democracy when the PPO," Rokas said, "has all the means at its disposal to do the necessary investigations should any allegation of corruption or any other similar problem occur." mr/