Skopje, 2 February 2023 (MIA) - Deputy PM for good governance policies Slavica Grkovska, who is attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, said that a lot still needs to be done in the fight against corruption, citizens need to see visible results and an end result of the fight against corruption.  

“A lot more needs to be done than what has already been done, and the citizens want to see visible results, an effect and an end result in the fight against corruption and organized crime. The judiciary system is the biggest weakness,” Grkovska said in an interview with Voice of America in Macedonian language. 

In terms of her statement that she does not exempt the Government nor the institutions from responsibility, she said the judiciary system is the weakest link.  

“The judiciary system is the weakest link. The independence of the institutions should be an additional obligation for responsibility and transparency before the citizens, for the decisions taken by the judiciary system,” said Grkovska.  

As regards whether she has any knowledge on who is included in the U.S. blacklist of corrupt actors in politics, she said the sanctions are not always only for politicians, but generally for everyone who deserves to be on that list.   

“It is of great help to countries in the world, because these are sanctions that the United States uses as an instrument that contributes to the fight against corruption and organized crime. We should be focused on our obligations at home. The decisions that are made, the functioning of the institutions, efficiency and transparency are our obligation,” Grkovska said.  

Regarding Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, according to which the country has scored 40 points and is up just one place from last year, the Deputy PM said it was good to see progress, even if it is slight progress.  

“It is good to see progress, even if it is slight progress. It means that we need to step up our efforts and change the perception of the citizens and it should be visible that all the efforts we are making have an effect. When we make sure that citizens trust institutions, that the law applies equally to everyone, then I am confident that we will have the great support of the citizens and they will dare to report corruption more,” said Grkovska.