The State Anti-Corruption Commission (DKSK) condemned the move by the justices of the Constitutional Court to award themselves bonuses worth 35 percent of their salaries. DKSK head Biljana Ivanovska said that this can only be done through changes to the law, and not with unilateral actions by the justices.
It is true that the rules of the Constitutional Court are very dated, from 1991 or 1992, and the justices changed them recently in accordance with the law on courts. But they added an article to define their right to receive a bonus. The Constitution allows the Constitutional Court to arrange its work process with changes to the rules, but not their financial compensation, Ivanovska said.
The court issued a press release condemning the reporting on this development, and announced that it will clarify the situation soon. The court famously blocked a decision by the Government to try and reduce the gaping 2020 deficit a little by bringing all high ranking members of the public administration down to the minimum wage for a few months. The initial plan presented by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev over the spring was for a meaningful cut in public spending by putting the entire public administration on the minimum wage for two months. This was rejected by his own cabinet ministers. The Government then planned for a symbolic cut to the highest paying official only, but they forgot to exclude the justices of the Constitutional Court, who convened and killed the proposal, declaring it unconstitutional.
The decision by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, where now disgraced Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva similarly gave herself and her staff huge bonuses for “confidentiality” and “keeping official secrets” is now the subject of a criminal investigation against her.
Comments are closed for this post.