Deskoska: New anti-corruption commission this fall


A law on the prevention of corruption is in the works with one of the tasks of the working group being to define a new model for an anti-corruption commission, Minister of Justice Renata Deskoska said Tuesday.

According to her, the new model involves experts, non-partisan members that have the capacity to do their job as it is required.

“The dilemma was whether to set up a short-term anti-corruption commission according to existing laws and to form a commission with a capacity. I believe we should have fundamental changes instead of rushed formation in order to meet certain demands and to show we have done something. We wish we had an anti-corruption commission with strong capacity,” Minister Deskoska told reporters before the opening of a debate on the fight against corruption.

The working group has already drafted a version of the law, which is yet to be reviewed by the Justice Ministry. The law is expected to be then handed over to be considered in a parliamentary procedure and, as the Minister said, the commission is expected to be established this coming fall.

Fight against corruption is one of the strategic priorities of the new government, stressed Minister Deskoska adding that several instruments are applicable in this sphere.
“One of the international organizations issuing recommendations for Macedonia and for other countries to overcome the issue with corruption is GRECO. Unfortunately, I have to conclude that there are recommendations that are yet to be implemented, even though they were issued back in 2013. In due time, a commission will be formed to work on implementation and at the same time on monitoring of their implementation,” she said.

Judiciary, Deskoska noted, is also one of the key factors in the fight against corruption. A special emphasis will be put on the establishment of a legal foundation for efficiency of the judiciary in the fight against corruption.

“The definition of corruption does not only suggest donations of funds, it also implies the influence, broader influence, on judges in solving certain cases,” Minister Deskoska said.