Macedonia Adoption Officials Accused of Soliciting Bribes

The head of an orphans right group, “Building Future”, has accused officials of accepting huge sums to speed up sluggish and bureaucratic adoption procedures.

Ilija Jovanovic says some would-be parents "offer big sums to the commission in the Ministry for Social Affairs in charge for approving adoptions". 

Jovanovic says there are more than enough children in the country waiting for adoption and the size of bribes indicates the ample level of interest among couples wanting to adopt.

“But waiting periods for approval take years and in some cases even decades”, Jovanovic said, adding that waiting lists constantly feature at least 350 to 400 couples wanting to adopt.

The spokesperson for the Ministry for Social Affairs, Erzana Jakupi said that the ministry did not receive any complaints for possible corruption.

“We are currently implementing a new way of adoption using electronic systems. This way the human factor and the possible misuses are minimal”

Police spokesperson Ivo Kotevski said they were unable to disclose details about possible investigations into such illegal  payments. The interior ministry "remains committed to investigating any indications of bribes or corruption,” Kotevski said.  

The orphans association said it would launch an initiative to change the law in order to eliminate possible corruption and speed up adoption processes.

It urges the formation of an independent commission, comprised of social worker, lawyers, and other experts that will assess the situation and suggest changes to the law.

“The care and the unconditional love that couples have to offer should be valued most, not their material or social status,” Jovanovic said.