The Minister of Internal Affairs, Panche Toskoski, emphasized during a television appearance that citizens' perception of the Ministry's work, especially in the fight against corruption, has seen a double-digit increase, which, as he pointed out, is a direct result of intensified activities and the outcomes that the Ministry has achieved over the past year and a half to two years.
Presenting comparative data on criminal acts in the field of corruption and economic crime for the period 2023–2025, the minister noted that in 2023, 126 criminal acts were uncovered, in 2024, 206, and in 2025, 290 criminal acts, representing an increase of about 130 percent. These figures, as he highlighted, fully correspond with citizens' perception that the Ministry is conducting a serious and non-selective fight against corruption.
Regarding the number of perpetrators, in 2023, 185 individuals were recorded, in 2024, 363, while in 2025, 678 perpetrators linked to corrupt criminal acts were uncovered. These are criminal acts committed in previous years but uncovered in 2025, for which appropriate criminal charges have been filed.
The minister emphasized that the most striking figures are related to the damage inflicted on the state budget. In 2023, the filed criminal charges pertained to a total damage of 5.7 million euros, in 2024 to 24 million euros, while in 2025, criminal charges were filed for as much as 380 million euros, representing an increase of about 66 times compared to 2023.
Toskoski stated that such results are the product of an institutional approach and coordinated work not only of the Ministry but also of other relevant institutions in uncovering corruption and economic crime, including the National Security Agency and the Financial Police.
Speaking about the overall security situation, the minister pointed out that 2025 represents the historically best year in the last 20 years in terms of the number of committed crimes, with a total of 17,972 registered offenses. Additionally, the clearance rate for crimes stands at 67.2 percent, which also marks the highest percentage in the last two decades.
Minister Toskoski expressed public gratitude to the police officers for their professionalism and dedication, emphasizing that the fight against corruption and all forms of crime will continue at the same pace, and the public's focus in the upcoming period will rightly be directed towards the actions of the prosecution and the judiciary, as key links in the rule of law system.