English
The Macedonian Government temporarily suspended all payments from the IPARD 3 program, where EU funds are used to help farmers and rural development in Macedonia, after the arrest of the head of the agency tasked with approving and distributing these funds in a corruption scandal. The agency director, Ilija Stoilev, sought a significant bribe from a company that was ineligible for IPARD funds, but he promised to approve the contract anyway, if the bribe is paid.
This was welcomed by the European Commission, said Prime Minister Mickoski today, about the arrest, and promised that the case will be fully investigated. “We must see how far back the abuses go. Initial reports are that this was not just happening now but went back years and we will investigate all of it. And all will be held responsible”.
The VMRO-DPMNE party issued a statement denying allegations from SDSM that the funds were stopped by the EU. “The Government is punishing the corrupt behavior of current officials without causing a public scene over it”, said the ruling party.
President Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova today also said that the integrity of the institutions distributing EU funds needs to be preserved.
IPARD funds are very important to us, it is an incredibly valuable project. As good hosts to funds that are given to us we need to show European behavior, behavior in the framework of the rule of law and all abuses need to be punished severely. It’s not the first time we faced abuses and there must be accountability, said the President.
