The Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina has announced that it has arrested a person on suspicion of "forgery of documents" and "fraud", following information received from a local NGO.
I.Ç., as the owner and responsible person of the Center for Verification of Professional Skills "A" in Prizren, is suspected of having issued professional training diplomas for various professions, without the relevant theoretical and practical training having taken place.
It is suspected that these diplomas were used for employment within and outside the country, as well as to meet criteria in various procurement procedures.
The prosecution has announced that from the investigative actions, it is suspected that from 2019 to now, 1679 diplomas have been issued for various professions, while the payment for one diploma is reported to have cost around 300 euros. The benefit was around 500 thousand euros, while during the investigations it was discovered that the entity in question was not accredited by the National Qualifications Authority at all.
"The profit from this illegal activity is suspected to be around 500 thousand euros," the Prosecution wrote. "Following the investigative actions undertaken, a search warrant was obtained from the Basic Court in Prizren, which was implemented in cooperation with tax inspectors. During the search, evidence was obtained that, according to the investigation's suspicions, shows that the entity in question was not accredited by the National Qualifications Authority (NQA) and was not authorized to provide, assess and certify professional qualifications."
The suspect was detained for 48 hours.
"During the search, the following were found and seized as evidence: 333 professional diplomas, sealed and unsealed, with the names of the candidates; two computer devices, on which the program for registering diplomas was installed; two USBs with data; three business seals; a mobile phone of the suspect; 11 sheets with notes regarding debts and payments; 630 euros in cash; and nine business cards. The suspect is in detention for 48 hours, while, within the legal deadline, the Prosecution will evaluate the submission of a request for the determination of a measure to ensure the presence of the defendant in the criminal procedure," announced the Prosecution, which has invited citizens who suspect that they have been deceived or harmed with the diploma device to come forward and report the case.