The Basic Court in Pristina has ordered a month of detention for the former Minister of Economic Development, Fadil Ismajli, and six others arrested on Thursday on suspicion of corruption.
In addition to Ismajli, this group includes a judge of the Basic Court who served in Gracanica, Jovica Mitrovic and other officials NK, MD, BD, Sh.T. and GL.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeThe hearing held on Saturday lasted several hours. The court announced the detention order in the evening.
“The Basic Court in Pristina, Special Department has decided on the request of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, to impose a measure of detention in the criminal case against the defendant NK due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of Accepting a Bribe, the defendant MB-D due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of Giving a Bribe as well as the criminal offense of Exercising Influence, the defendant Sh.T. due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offenses of Giving a Bribe as well as the criminal offense of Exercising Influence, the defendant GL due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offenses of Giving a Bribe as well as the criminal offense of Exercising Influence, the defendant FI due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of Giving a Bribe, the defendant JM due to the grounded suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of Accepting a Bribe as well as the defendant BD for due to the well-founded suspicion that he has committed the criminal offenses of Bribery and the criminal offense of Exercising Influence", the announcement states. "The court assessed that the imposition of pre-trial detention in this criminal case is an adequate measure and concluded that the pre-trial detention measure is currently the only measure for the unhindered flow of criminal proceedings in this legal-criminal case".
The Prosecution's file states that in the period 2023-2025 they took actions for illegal personal gain through compensation for expropriated properties, violating expropriation laws and filing appeals outside the legal deadlines.
Ismajli's lawyers have denied the allegations, saying that he was compensated for a property that became unusable after the expropriation of a family property.
"The request for compensation for the remaining part has a clear legal basis and such cases are numerous in the courts of Kosovo. Mr. Ismajli is a beneficiary in the same way as other citizens who have gone through identical procedures, which is easily verifiable and supported by concrete evidence," said his defense team, consisting of lawyers Rafet Ferizi and Mehmet Berisha.
The suspects were arrested on Thursday in a police operation, on the orders of the Special Prosecution Office.