Six units of the Postal Savings Bank, operating illegally in Kosovo, were closed

Following reports from financial monitoring institutions, the Kosovo Police on Monday took action to close six units of the Postal Savings Bank in the north. While the action was monitored by EULEX and KFOR, some Serbian citizens carried out a symbolic action to say that this situation is unbearable for them. The action was taken a few days after the failure to find a solution for the implementation of the CBK Regulation in the north

On Monday, the Kosovo Police closed six units of the Postal Savings Bank in the north, which have been operating illegally since the post-war period. According to the deputy police commander for the north, the action took place after suspicions that some businesses are carrying out illegal activities.

"Every possible criminal activity is suspected, from not registering the business, tax evasion and other things. The police are present at these points with the TAK and that the economic crimes unit may also be involved later", said the deputy director of the police in the north, Veton Elshani. 

The Minister of the Interior, Xelal Sveçla, has said that the closure of these units is part of the measures to establish law and order in the north. 

"In order to establish legality, after the communication and request of the relevant institutions and the authorization of the prosecutor, the Kosovo Police in cooperation with the Tax Administration of Kosovo, in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, today carried out the operation of control and closure of 6 units of the so-called Postal Savings Bank (Banka Postanske Stedionica) as an illegal financial institution of Serbia in the Republic of Kosovo", Sveçla wrote.

The action of the Kosovo Police was monitored by members of EULEX and KFOR.
Meanwhile, some Serbian citizens, together with officials of the opposition party "Serbian Democracy" carried out a symbolic action by throwing flour, eggs and other foodstuffs in front of the Police vehicle parked in front of the bank building.

"We will be forced to withdraw payments in dinars in Raska and other places in Serbia. Recently there have been smaller amounts of dinar brought here, but now they want to take it all. This calls into question the survival of Serbs in Kosovo", stated Stefan Veljkovic from Serbian Democracy.

Meanwhile, the director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, connected the action with the failure of Kosovo to join the Council of Europe. 

"According to the personal order of Albin Kurti, at 15:15 the police raided all the branches of the Postal Savings Bank and the Treasury Department in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo. "Kurti waited for the dialogue to pass and after experiencing the failure of Kosovo's non-membership in the Council of Europe, he undertook a new unilateral movement with the aim of inciting riots and chaos," Petkovic assessed. 

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, also reacted.

Through the Savings Bank, salaries, payments for social schemes and other benefits that Serbia distributes to Kosovo Serbs are distributed in dinars.

The action was taken a few days after the seventh meeting in Brussels to find a solution regarding the dinar among the Serbian community failed. 

According to the CBK regulation, which was approved in February of this year, the currency in which cash payments can be made is only the Euro.