Not only prison for corruption but also confiscating illegally acquired property and the eternal ban on public office exercise.

These are some of the main demands of the Pensioners’ Party, which supports the new version of the Criminal Code Proposal Law, but estimates that stiffening punishments is not enough to end corruption and misuse of power.

According to this party, along with legal changes, the country needs a radical reform of the judiciary and prosecution, so that the responsibility for violating the law does not depend on the individual’s position or political affiliation.

In its response, the Pensioners’ Party stresses that misuse of office should be punished with the most severe measures, especially when it comes to carrying public functions whose actions violate citizens’ trust in state institutions. From this party consider the proposed changes to the Penal Code to be a step in the right direction, but require additional mechanisms that will make the fight against corruption more efficient and prevent the evasion of responsibility by officials involved in illegal activities.

One of the main proposals of the Pensioners’ Party is the expansion and immediate implementation of property seizures, which officials cannot prove was acquired by legitimate sources.

According to the party, this measure should not only be limited to registered assets in the name of the official, but also include property and financial means that have been transferred to family members or close associates. In this way, they estimate the Pensioners’ Party, would prevent the hiding of illegally acquired property through other persons.

The party proposes that seized financial means be forced to navigate towards funds for social protection and health, as well as to be used to improve the living standards of pensioners and other vulnerable categories of citizens. With this proposal, the party aims for property recovered from corrupt actions to serve directly for citizens’ social needs.
Another requirement is to impose a life-long ban on the exercise of public functions for any person who is sentenced to judicial decision of the formal form for criminal acts of corruption.

According to the Pensioners’ Party, individuals who have misused public trust and been convicted of corruption should not be able to return to positions from which they could again influence state institutions.

In addition to changes to the Criminal Code, the Pensioners’ Party proposes four concrete measures for reforming the justice system.

The first mass is establishing a system of control of public judges and prosecutors, known as veting. This process, according to the party, should include regular and transparent control of property, as well as verification of the professional integrity of holders of functions in justice. The goal is to identify and remove corrupt frameworks from the judicial and prosecutorial system. The second move is full depoliticisation of the Judiciary Council, through changing the way its members are elected, they say, among other things, by this party.

The Pensioners’ Party estimates such reform would help prevent political and party influences during the election and advance of judges. The third requirement concerns accelerating judicial procedures for high-level corruption cases.

The party proposes setting mandatory deadlines for the development of these procedures in order to avoid procrastinating processes, prescribing subjects and the possibility that responsible persons escape justice.

The fourth move is strengthening anti-corruption institutions, through ensuring full financial, institutional and operational independence of the Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Organised Crime and Corruption, as well as the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, proposed by the Pensioners’ Party.

According to the party, without independent and functional institutions, even the strictest legal provisions risk falling short of the desired effect.

At the end of the response, the Pensioners’ Party stresses that citizens deserve a fair state, where laws apply equally to all, regardless of public function or political affiliation.

This party orders that fighting corruption should not be limited to increasing penalties, but must be accompanied by reforms guaranteeing institutional responsibility, transparency and rule of law.