<p>Today, May 28, 2025, the Center for Civic Communications, the Association of Tax Advisors and Aktivo published the <a href="images/research_beneficial_ownership.pdf" target="_blank">"Research on the Detection of Possible Conflicts of Interest and Abuse of Power in Public Procurement by Politically Exposed Persons"</a>, which showed that:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Registry of Beneficial Ownership allowed detection of company ownership by politically prominent individuals (mayors and ministers) which had not been reported in their interest declarations submitted to the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC). </li>
<li>Inconsistency of data on business interests of politically prominent individuals shows lack of adequate checks and accuracy verification of data contained in the Registry of Beneficial Ownership and asset and interest declarations submitted by elected and appointed officials to SCPC. </li>
<li>Companies owned by current mayors and former ministers appear as holders of public procurement contracts, concessions and licenses awarded by state institutions. </li>
<li>The mere fact that asset and interest declarations require data enlistment only for members of the closest family leaves outside the radar companies where persons close to politically prominent individuals appear as owners, founders, members of assemblies, supervision and management boards or management structures or act as authorized persons of companies (state or private). This complicates detection of conflict of interests and abuse of power in public procurement among politically prominent individuals. </li>
<li>By the end of 2023, elected and appointed officials submitted their interest declarations on the old template, which had also required disclosure of business interests for persons close to them, not only for members of their family as stipulated in the Law on Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interests from January 2019. Therefore, while they were not obliged by law, a small number of elected and appointed officials also reported information relating to their parents, siblings and cousins. </li>
<li>Payment of fees to access data in the Registry of Beneficial Ownership further underlines the importance of data from interest declarations made by elected and appointed officials. Hence, it is highly problematic that SCPC’s electronic system does not offer data on interests reported by elected and appointed officials whose declarations were submitted by 2024. Notably, data available for these elected and appointed officials relates to their assets, but not to their interests. </li>
<li>Citizens are prevented active engagement in detecting possible conflict of interests and abuse of power by public office holders. The Registry of Beneficial Ownership is not open to the public and access thereto is subject to payment of fees, while data on business interests of politically prominent individuals made available in SCPC’s electronic system are incomplete.</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information, please contact the Center for Civic Communications at (02) 3213-513 or at <a href="mailto:center@ccc.org.mk">center@ccc.org.mk</a>.</p>
<p>The project “Using Beneficial Ownership Data to Reduce Corruption” is supported by the Swiss Government through Civica Mobilitas. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Switzerland, Civica Mobilitas or the implementing organizations.</p>