RFE: Managing with not so clean hands

With a promise to fight corruption and lead with clean hands, many would expect the Government of Kosovo to not be mentioned in this phenomenon at all. However, towards the end of its four-year term, the reality is not so inspiring, writes RSE.

This month, the Special Prosecution of Kosovo called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti himself to testify in a corruption case. He did not go, instead, he invited the prosecution to come to him. The case relates to reserves, in which the Minister of Industry, Business, and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, is directly involved.

Other officials have also faced investigations or legal proceedings. The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (APK) says that in 2024, compared to the previous year, the number of cases of corruption or abuse of office has increased.

The Kosovo Prosecution and the Judicial Council have not responded to Radio Free Europe's inquiries about the number of cases of corruption and abuse of position that these judicial institutions have prosecuted in the last four years.

However, according to data from the statistical analysis of the FOL Movement in Pristina, for the performance of the prosecutorial and judicial system in the fight against corruption, all Kosovo prosecutors during 2023 had over 1,100 cases, of which 630 were new, while the rest were inherited from previous years. Only 500 cases appear as resolved.

According to this analysis, for the year 2023, seven basic courts in Kosovo resolved 128 cases of corruption, of which 24 were new, and the rest were inherited.

Mexhide Demoli, Executive Director of the FOL Movement, says that the increase in the number of cases of unreported property and reports of possible corruption or abuse of official position is just part of the mosaic of the corruption phenomenon.

She recalls that Kurti's government, when it took power nearly four years ago, had the main promise of fighting corruption, but, according to her words, it has not yielded much result.

"There is a series of scandals and cases of corruption against ministers, officials, and high-ranking officials of this government. Accusations of misusing state reserves, tax evasion, unreported property, forgiving million-dollar debts were some of the charges raised against officials of this government, for which there are still no court conclusions," says Demoli.

She adds that, despite several legal processes that are ongoing, there are still no court decisions with final prison sentences for high-ranking officials.

It is suspected that a family member of a member of the ruling Self-Determination Movement received a grant of 100,000 euros from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development, headed by Faton Peci.

Civil society has also expressed concern that two of the recently elected members of the Board of System Operators, Transmission, and Market of Kosovo (KOSTT) are relatives of members of Kurti's government. This case has not been further processed.

The Minister of Industry, Business, and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, is currently under investigation for abuse of official position related to reserves. A few months ago, she was called in for questioning by the Special Prosecution but defended herself by remaining silent.

At the end of 2022, she was fined 700 euros by the Basic Court in Pristina for failing to report property.

In addition to her, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla, also faced charges of failing to report property, but was acquitted in November.

The European Commission's Progress Report for 2024 assesses that Kosovo has made limited progress in the fight against corruption.

According to this report, "the results are affected by a lack of resources and capacity, as well as a lack of impartiality and accountability in the service of the prosecution and judiciary." The Progress Report for 2023 stated that corruption in Kosovo "continues to cause serious concern."

Even the US State Department's global report on human rights for 2023, published in April this year, pointed to "several reports of corruption in the government" and emphasized that "officials occasionally engage in corrupt practices without being punished."

The case of state reserves is also mentioned in the report by Freedom House. It notes that Kosovo is in the process of developing a new strategy to fight corruption, but "Prime Minister Kurti attributes delays to the intervention of the opposition."

It was expected that the strategy, which defines the goals of institutions to fight corruption, would be finalized last December, but the government decided to hold a public consultation in December this year.

Violet Haxholi from the Democratic Institute of Kosovo says that by not appearing as a witness in the Special Prosecution, Kurti has not shown that he is serious about fighting corruption.

"The Prime Minister's approach indicates a kind of overlap of executive power towards judicial bodies. This is a wrong practice and sends a very wrong signal to citizens and international partners," she concludes.