Levica’s proposal to amend the Criminal Code, which included doubling the statute of limitations for criminal offenses and making economic crimes and abuse of official duty non-prosecutable, failed to pass during an Assembly session. The proposal only received 18 votes in favor, as the parliamentary majority consisting of VMRO-DPMNE, VREDI, and ZNAM did not support or comment on the Draft Law.

MP Amar Mecinović of Levica presented the proposal, highlighting that the changes were prompted by a Constitutional Court decision and were part of VMRO-DPMNE’s pre-election promises. He emphasized that the proposed amendments would address corruption, which he described as a major problem in Macedonian society.

Mecinović reminded the Assembly that the current Criminal Code, amended in November 2023, had effectively pardoned actions that impacted the quality of life and the country’s progress towards European Union reforms. He further argued that the amended code could prevent justice in cases like the Kochani tragedy, where officials involved might escape prosecution.

According to Mecinović, the proposed changes sought to double the statute of limitations for all criminal offenses to ensure that justice could be achieved. He claimed that the existing short deadlines for the statute of limitations were being abused within the judiciary and prosecutor’s office to cover up offenses.

In addition to extending the statute of limitations, the proposal aimed to make economic crimes and offenses related to abuse of official duty non-prosecutable. Mecinović argued that this change was necessary to address the creation of millionaires through corruption and the subsequent pardoning of their criminal liability by political allies.

Despite Mecinović’s appeals, the parliamentary majority did not vote on the proposal. Levica has accused VMRO-DPMNE of lying, stating that the MPs did not vote for the proposal for the non-prosecutability of offenses against official duty.