The United States State Department announced on Monday that it has sanctioned former Special Prosecutor of North Macedonia, Katica Janeva, the current mayor of the municipality of Karpoš in North Macedonia, Stevčo Jakimovski, and the former mayor of the municipality of Kaçanik in Kosovo, Xhabir Zharku, for involvement in corruption.
In a statement by the State Department, it is said that “their actions undermined the rule of law and public trust in the democratic institutions and public processes of their respective governments”.
The statement says that former Special Prosecutor of North Macedonia, Katica Janeva, while in office, was involved in corrupt acts, exploiting her political influence and official power for personal gain.
“There is credible information that Ms. Janeva solicited and accepted bribes to influence a prosecutor under her jurisdiction,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the municipality of Karpoš, Jakimovski, is alleged to have been involved in corrupt acts, using his official position to interfere in urban development and procurement processes to benefit himself and his associates.
As for the former mayor of the municipality of Kaçanik, Zharku, it is stated that he was involved in corrupt acts, using his position to intervene in procurement processes to unlawfully allow construction on municipal property, benefiting himself and his associates.
The sanctions, the statement says, demonstrate the United States’ commitment to supporting the rule of law and strengthening democratic institutions throughout the Balkans. The State Department will continue to use all authority to promote accountability for corrupt actors in the region and globally.
Those sanctioned and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the United States.
In June 2020, former Special Prosecutor of North Macedonia Katica Janeva was sentenced to 7 years in prison for “abuse of office”.
Meanwhile, the former mayor of the municipality of Kaçanik, Xhabir Zharku, was released in early 2023 from charges of abuse of official duty, as the case had expired. According to the indictment filed in 2010, he was suspected that in 2008, while mayor, he “illegally allowed constructions on municipal property”.
In 2011, he was sentenced to three years in prison for another offense involving charges of “coercion” and “possession of weapons without a permit”.
Upon confirmation of the decision, he fled from Kosovo and had stayed in Sweden for almost five and a half years. In June 2018, he returned to Kosovo after a court in Ferizaj decided to annul the execution of the sentence, as the case had expired or as it is said in Kosovo “was pre-scripted”.
