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By:
Saranda Ramaj
- 12 January 2022 20:19
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"I can speak for myself. I am prepared and I have the courage to face every crime and every crime that is committed in the Republic of Kosovo", said Aleksandër Lumezi almost 7 years ago, before he officially assumed the office of the chief state prosecutor.
As determined by the Law on the deadline for the opening of the competition for chief prosecutor, on Wednesday the Prosecution Council of Kosovo announced its initiation.
From the day that Lumezi took office until now, the results are lacking and the criticisms towards the institution that he leads for a short time are numerous not only within the country but also from international organizations. The image of this institution was damaged even further not only due to the lack of results but also due to doubts about its influence.
Lumezi, at the first meeting of the KPK, had promised something completely different.
"I will start working together with you to build and change the image of the prosecution system", Lumezi said on May 13, 2015.
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The promise to fight against high-profile crime and corruption remained the weakest point of the investigation system that was billed as a failure by the State Prosecutor's Office.
The "white-collar crime" that he and his subordinates refer to when they talk about the corruption of high-ranking officials remained largely intact.
For 7 years, there were investigations of these cases, but the results were poor.
In 2016, the issue of illegal employment by high-ranking PDK officials at the time, known as the "Pronto" affair, was revived.
Initially, Lumezi at the press conference assessed that in this case there could be no investigations without new evidence.
"If we act with the same evidence, then it should be understood that the rights of the participants in the criminal procedure were violated", said Lumezi.
After pressure from the media and civil society, however, an investigation was launched into this case, an indictment was filed, which was criticized for weak arguments, and the main accused persons were fully acquitted by the courts.
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Months later after the publication of the wiretapping for "Pronto", KTV published another wiretapped phone call of this affair that was published before. In this recording, Lumezi's name was mentioned by the then PDK leaders. They planned to give him a position in the party, but Lumezi without this publication denies such talks.
Pronto 3: Thaçi's plans for Lumezi in PDKThe inclusion of Aleksandër Lumez in the PDK, the former chairman of the PDK, Hashim Thaçi, had planned to do it through the Congress. In the next interception, Adem Grabovci had suggested to Thaçi that this could also be done through the presidency, which Thaçi would be better off doing personally. Meanwhile, Veseli has not denied the fact that the PDK has considered Lumezi's name as a candidate for Pristina, saying that it is their duty to bring cadres to the party.
Posted by Koha.net on Tuesday, December 12, 2017
The State Prosecutor's Office also launched other investigations. One of them was the case known as "False Veterans".
Former prosecutor Elez Blakaj, who had drawn up a draft indictment, accused him of interfering in investigations and not only in this case. This led to a protest against Lumez, who was asked to resign, but that did not happen.
One of the main indictments filed in his time is the affair known as "Stenta", but which has no final decision, although the court is responsible for such a case.
From the State Prosecutor's Office, however, there were several indictments for high-profile corruption, which mostly affected politicians who did not declare their assets.
Some of them were released and those who were sentenced received a suspended sentence.
For five years, no senior official has ended up in prison as a result of any powerful indictment of investigative institutions.
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There are several active indictments that are awaiting review and verdicts for corruption. The former mayor of Gjakova, Pal Lekaj, is being accused of abuse in the capacity of the mayor; Former minister Nenad Rikalo for the accusations of fraud with grants in agriculture, some former high officials for suspicions of misuse in the creation of the Economic Zone in Malishevë and the case of pardoning the hydropower plants that has a little more than a year until the statute of limitations.
The dubious homologation process in favor of a business and the forgiveness of 53 million euros in the name of punitive interest which "Bechtel Enka" benefited from, during the time that Lumezi led the investigation, but no one was ever accused of them.
