Fighting corruption: Over 22m euros were confiscated this year alone

Over 150m euros are estimated at the total value of seized goods, while over 3.5m euros are worth of confiscated goods, prosecution authorities suggest.

Confiscating implies permanent acquisition of property according to the order of the form cut by the competent court or other competent body in accordance with the law in force, while sequenting the acquisition of property from the competent body until the court's firm decision.

Meanwhile, during just the first nine months of this year, according to Prosecutor Sheldon Fazliu, who is also the National Coordinator for Combating Economic Crime, says the value of frozen and sequential wealth is over 22m euros, while confiscated wealth is only one case, in an estimated 30,000 euros.

Over 150m euros are “, while the total of properties confiscated for 2014 to 2017 amounting to over 3.5m euros of confiscated assets, eventually, where we have some major convictions in the midst of which is also the case of a former judge”, Fazliu said.

On the other hand, some 35m 740 thousand euros have reached the value of goods benefited from criminal acts, organised crime, then from financing terrorism and money laundering, which have been seized and confiscated by Kosovo authorities, which are in the Agency for the Management of Secuested and Confirmed Riches.

The general director of this agency, the Rama beat, told Radio Free Europe, that the largest confiscated and seized value is real estate.

There's a field, there's objects, there's flats, but there's also a piece that's also a playable asset. Confiscating dominated property”, Rama said.

The confiscated and seized property is managed by the agency operating under the Justice Ministry, which also makes a value assessment and then allows for its sale.

Rama as a problem cites the failure to process cases in courts and the failure to implement law on the part of the justice system.

The court's “decisions of the formal form are very late. At times, we also take them in two or three years. This means that courts are not implementing the law because they have a legal obligation that decisions should be sent to the Property Administration Agency”, Rama said.

Officials in the justice system admit they have problems dealing with subjects dealing with the sequentification and seizure of illegally acquired property. Kosovo has the Law for extensive competency for confiscating criminally acquired property, but has not completed the package of anti-corruption laws.

Kosovo Judiciary Council chief Nehat Idrizi told Radio Free Europe that in this direction, the obstacle presents legal provisions.

There are uncertainty and challenges in this direction. Maybe it's not working out properly. Some guilt is left to the prosecuted legal provisions of the seizure... there are different opinions. There is no unifying”, Idriz said.

Even in the Supreme Court of Kosovo, they say that in the direction of the sequencing so far there are no satisfactory results. They say the matter should be taken into account.

We may not be satisfied with the seizure. It's also the perception and meaning in general, but it must be dedicated to”, said Enver Peci, chairman of the Supreme Court.

Representatives of nongovernmental organisations say Kosovo continues to have serious problems with corruption and organised crime. According to them, serious actions have not yet been taken toward these negative phenomena.

Betim Musliu from the Kosovo Institute for Justice (IKD) told Radio Free Europe that prosecutors and courts have failed to handle these cases.

“Based on IKD systematic monitoring, it turns out that prosecutors do not apply for sequencing and seizure of assets that are won by criminal acts. Afterwards, judges are reluctant to approve prosecutors' requests for the seizure and seizure of illegal assets. So far prosecutors and judges have failed to implement all provisions involving sequencing and seizure of assets”, Musliu said.

Members of the Commission for Legislation in the Kosovo Assembly, from the opposition ranks, stress that the goal of the Parliament should be to adopt relevant laws in fighting corruption and organised crime.

Confiscating, by law, means “permanent confiscating of property, ordered by the decision of the form cut by the competent court or other competent body in accordance with the law in force”.

Later, these assets, passed state-owned, could be provided for or sold at public auctions and financial means passed into Kosovo's budget.
Confiscating illegal property is realised through the Kosovo Criminal Code and the Law for Expanded competencies for the seizure of property acquired by criminal acts.

But there are no legal mechanisms by which to submit to verification of property, the people who claim their wealth is created by their incomes, say the connoisseur of the issue of justice. /Rel