Thursday, May 03, 2007

Corruption in Macedonia still rampant - courts inefficient

The rate of corruption in Macedonia is still high, mainly because of dependability and inefficiency of courts, said the Transparency International HQ coordinator in Berlin, Jana Mittermeier at today's workshop set up by Zero Corruption in Skopje.

Mittermeier arrived in Macedonia on a monitoring mission of the Macedonian NGOs.

"The corruption is a serious problem in Macedonia, which means the battle against this negative phenomenon has to continue", Mittermeier said, expressing support to Zero Corruption's activity.

The statement of the representative of Transparency International for South East Europe and Asia was positively appraised by Slagjana Taseva, the President of the Zero Corruption's Programme Council, who expressed hopes that her organization will return soon within the Transparency International.

The participants of today's workshop dedicated to the corruption in the private and public sector, singled out the corruptive activities in the public procurement sector.

"The audit reports indicate that Macedonia is a reach country, but the problem lies in irrational expenditures", the Chief State Auditor Dragoljub Arsovski said, pointing out at public procurements in health sector as the most vulnerable area.

"Non-transparency in unsealing of the offers and the failure of the high posts holders to even read out the commissions' reports are the biggest problems", said Zivko Temelkovski, an expert in public procurements.

According to professor Borce Davitkovski, the solution for the public procurements should be sought in adoption of an Ethic Code.

"A moral condemnation as well as sanctions should be included in the future Ethic Code", he said.

He pointed out at the England's Code of Ethics, which contain as much as 450 pages, envisaging sanctions against those who violate the rules.

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