site.btaNorth Macedonia Initiates Procedure to Dismiss State Public Prosecutor Kocevski

The government of the Republic of North Macedonia has decided to oblige the Ministry of Justice to start a procedure for the dismissal of state public prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski, the Government of North Macedonia spokesperson Marija Miteva reported during a press conference here on Tuesday.

Miteva said: "The government's disappointment is that [Kocevski] acted outside his legal competence, and the citizens' disappointment is with the dysfunctional system, which leads to a breakdown in trust and the functioning of the rule of law."

One of the reasons for this decision comes from the Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International earlier Tuesday, which revealed that North Macedonia dropped 12 places in the ranking compared to the previous year. The Index contains four points regarding the situation in the prosecution and the judiciary, Miteva pointed out. Another reason is the way Kocevski's election was carried out, which, according to the Government, contradicted the law.

According to the legislation of North Macedonia, the public prosecutor is elected and dismissed by the Parliament on the proposal of the Government from among candidates with a positive opinion from the Council of Prosecutors. The state prosecutor is accountable to Parliament.

The term of office of the state prosecutor of North Macedonia is six years, with the right to re-election. Kocevski was elected to the position a year ago.