North Macedonia, The Republic of

1970-07-24

North Macedonia, The Republic of

2407970450009, National ID No.

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated one individual, Jordan “Orce” Kamcev, in North Macedonia pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14033. Today’s designation underscores the United States’ continued commitment to promote accountability for individuals and entities that undermine or threaten the stability of the Western Balkans through corruption and other destabilizing behavior. Businessman Jordan “Orce” Kamcev (Kamcev) has engaged extensively in corruption, including abuse of office, money laundering, and other offenses for more than a decade starting in the early 2000s. In 2022, Kamcev was convicted in the “Vodno Land Parcels” trial for participating in a money laundering scheme linked to an illicit purchase of land. In a separate trial, Kamcev pleaded guilty to aggravated abuse of office in the “Empire Case,” in which he was suspected of criminal association, fraud, money laundering, and other crimes related to his businesses. Additionally, Kamcev used his corruptive influence and wealth to manipulate North Macedonia’s judicial system in his favor. In 2020, the head prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) was charged for accepting a bribe from Kamcev and testified that Kamcev paid money in exchange for favorable arrest conditions and case outcomes. Kamcev later initiated a civil case against the head prosecutor and others, claiming they had extorted him. A Skopje civil court ruled that Kamcev was not a victim and was not entitled to compensatory damage. In the aftermath of the scandal, the SPO collapsed. As a result, many high-level corruption cases that the SPO had been considering remain stagnant and undecided, delaying accountability for numerous individuals who have engaged in corruption similar to Kamcev. Today, OFAC designated Kamcev pursuant to E.O. 14033 for being complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption related to the Western Balkans, including corruption by, on behalf of, or otherwise related to a government in the Western Balkans, or a current or former government official at any level of government in the Western Balkans, such as the misappropriation of public assets, expropriation of private assets for personal gain or political purposes, or bribery.

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1628

2023-07-19

US

Executive Order 14033 Blocking Property and Suspending Entry into the United States of Certain Persons Contributing to the Destabilizing Situation in the Western Balkans

OFAC country specific

Western Balkans

Blocking Property, Suspending Entry

On June 8, 2021, pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA, the President issued E.O. 14033. In E.O. 14033, the President expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in E.O. 13219, as amended in E.O. 13304, finding that the situation in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Albania (the Western Balkans), over the past two decades, including the undermining of post-war agreements and institutions following the breakup of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as widespread corruption within various governments and institutions in the Western Balkans, stymies progress toward effective and democratic governance and full integration into transatlantic institutions, and thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

SDN