Online consultation on the reform of the Penal Code in North Macedonia

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Published: October 4, 2021
Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
North Macedonia

The German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation e.V. (IRZ) has been advising the expert group from the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia on the comprehensive reform of its criminal code since 2020. Prof. Dr. Vlado Kambovski is responsible for the content of the weekly online sessions and of the work of the experts in general. The group is made up of about 30 legal experts from the academic and business worlds. Another organisation involved is the OSCE Mission in Skopje. 

As part of the legislative consultation by the IRZ, various German legal experts and legal practitioners prepared a large number of written expert opinions on the draft criminal law provisions on topics such as asset confiscation, corruption in the health sector, dissemination of untrue information, the Istanbul Convention and economic crime. 

After the expert group had dealt intensively with the individual expert reports, the online format enabled the direct involvement of two German experts on 20 September 2021:

  • Dr Mohamad El-Ghazi, Professor of Criminal Law and Law of Criminal Procedure at the University of Trier
  • Dr. Till Zimmermann, Professor of Criminal Law and Law of Criminal Procedure including European and international references at the University of Trier

The pair recently founded the Trier Institute for Money Laundering and Corruption Criminal Law (TrIGeKo).

The online discussions focussed mainly on the issues of money laundering, fraud, embezzlement and corruption. The consultation therefore revealed the advantages and disadvantages of an all-crime approach as well as legal-political controversies. The penalties for money laundering in relation to the penalties for predicate offences were also discussed, taking German and European legislation into account. It was helpful here that the expert group from the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia had at their disposal a Macedonian translation of the German Criminal Code prepared by the IRZ in book form.