Skopje, 30 January 2024 (MIA) — North Macedonia was ranked 76th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perception Index, up two points to a total of 42 points in 2023. However, according to Transparency International Macedonia chair Blagoja Pandovski presenting the latest report, any result below 50 points was considered a high level of corruption in a country and a failure in its fight against corruption.

At a press conference Tuesday, Pandovski said the country's progress of two points was owed to better results according to the Bertelsmann Transformation Index, a measure of developing countries' development status and governance of political and economic transformation processes.

He said other indicators were stagnant and corruption was rife in the country, with no significant improvements in the work of most state institutions that should be fighting against corruption.

"Public opinion polls done last year regarding trust in the judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office, which should be leading the fight against corruption, yet again showed worryingly low percentages," Pandovski said.

"The already low trust of four percent has fallen to one percent, which is a real sign that the main institutions responsible for upholding laws and establishing what is in line with the laws need to enormously improve," he said.

"Also, Supreme Court president Besa Ademi clearly pointed out that there were political pressures on the country's highest judicial body, which is scandalous and devastating and a serious violation of the principle of independence of the judiciary," Pandovski said.

In addition, he said, the EU deployed a peer review mission that resulted in 40 recommendations on improving the work of the Judicial Council, which should be correcting the country's judges.

As another setback in the fight against corruption, Pandevski pointed to the September 2023 vote in Parliament that amended, through a fast-tracked procedure, the Criminal Code to reduce prison sentences and shorten the statute of limitations for cases of abuse of office.

This, according to Pandevski quoting the Transparency International report, has seriously undermined justice as it will cause roughly 200 suspected corruption cases to be dismissed, including ones against former high-level officials.

"These recent changes, when corruption in the country is at a very high level, are not good at all and stall the fight against corruption," Pandovski said.

"The state institutions remain deaf to criticism and recommendations for fighting against corruption," he said, adding that the country's democracy is underdeveloped still, the institutions not transparent enough, and the the judiciary’s ability to effectively fight corruption needs improvement.

Better ranked than North Macedonia in the region are Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria. Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked lower.

According to Pandovski, the focus of this year's CPI report was global justice and the effective rule of law. "Both are cornerstones of democracy and embody notions of fairness and accountability. Impunity for corruption – where people who abuse their power do not face consequences for the harm they cause – is the essence of injustice and failure of the rule of law," the report said.

The anti-corruption watchdog said there had been a global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016. 

"The rise of authoritarianism in some countries contributes to this trend, and even in democratic contexts, the mechanisms that keep governments in check have weakened.

"Governments across the political spectrum have undermined justice systems, restricted civic freedoms and relied on non-democratic strategies to address recent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic," Transparency International said.

Pandovski, quoting Transparency International chair François Valérian, said corruption would continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check.

"When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people that suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption," he said.

Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index based on several polls, drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions. mr/