North Macedonia Prosecutor's Office opens case against corrupt notaries

The Public Prosecutor's Office of North Macedonia launched a criminal case after an investigation by Slloboden Peçat revealed notaries arranging marriages in restaurants and hotels, collecting cash from couples and failing to remit the mandatory 10,500 denar fee to the state budget. Prosecutor Nenad Saveski confirmed the case. One of the implicated notaries was recently dismissed from the Directorate for Book Guidance (DULA). Director Faton Fazliu described the matter as non‑criminal, noted that no official complaints have been filed and that disciplinary procedures cannot be initiated on unverified information, but said a further review will be conducted. From 1 January to 30 June, DULA issued 316 permits for off‑site weddings. Internal regulations require a formal application, registration, and payment before a notary can perform a ceremony. The prosecutor’s investigation will determine how many weddings were conducted outside the approved process. An audit report from 2019 highlighted payment gaps in the directorate’s operations.