Corruption

The surprise winners in Bulgaria's third general election this year promise a radical break from past corruption - but the public has heard these pledges before.

Ljubljana – The Ljubljana Local Court has sentenced Kristjan Verbič, the president of the Pan-Slovenian Association of Small Shareholders (VZMD), to a suspended prison sentence for insider trading in 2007, the newspaper Delo reported. Verbič already got an eight-month suspended sentence in 2017.

Ljubljana – The newspaper Delo notes on Saturday that there is a long history of scandals involving arms deals in Slovenia. Commenting on a government-to-government purchase of a transport aircraft from Italy, the paper says that the Defence Ministry has checked whether the deal could be carried out without an anti-corruption clause in the contract.

In the report, which will be presented tomorrow in Strasbourg, the Commission states the progress of Serbia in harmonizing with the EU criteria, especially in the field of taxation and energy policy.

Albania's Special Court on Monday confirmed the decision by the Special Prosecution Against Organized Crime and Corruption, SPAK, on Friday to arrest the former General Director of Albanian Radio National Television, RTSH, Thoma Gëllçi, for abuse of duty over a tender worth about 708,000 euros.

The Special Court of Appeals Against Corruption and Organised Crime ruled on Friday that the case against Fatmir Mediu, who was defence minister in 2008 when an ammunition dump explosion killed 26 people, should be reopened.

The blast happened while ammunition from the period of Communist rule in Albania was being dismantled.

The UNODC report also contains some interesting data about cocaine pricing in Europe and the United States

A controversial scheme selling Montenegrin citizenship to wealthy foreign investors is being canceled after the European Union warned that it could foster corruption and harm the country's progress towards membership of the bloc.

Former Social-Democrat Health Minister Florian Bodog was indicted by prosecutors of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) in a case in which he is accused of abuse of office and intellectual forgery, DNA reported on Monday.

Ljubljana – The opposition-controlled Commission for Oversight of Public Finances has asked the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to check the records of Prime Minister Janez Janša’s contacts with lobbyists after a media reported that he had played golf on several occasions with the owner of a medical devices supplier.