Justice minister aims to reduce number of officials who declare property

The Ministry of Justice in the range of laws aimed at fulfilling and changing are also the law on property statements and the law on the Anti-Corruption Agency. By means of these changes, it is intended to reduce the number of officials who will declare their wealth.

The first of this dictatorship, Abelard Tahiri, said he is interested in empowering the Anti-Corruption Agency through these changes without damaging its independence.

He says he will also propose the removal of a large number of officials for the declaration of property, which have no power, such as municipal assembly as the ministers.

I've already said we'll focus on those institutions where they're very infected with misappropriations, corrupt relatives and I've already highlighted the list of property claims, the list is very large that declare the assets and capacities of the Agency are impossible to do with this and we have to significantly reduce that list because there are many public officials of municipal levels who are in fact very powerless people but are on a list of real estate statements based on the current law. And I consider that most of them must leave. It cannot be considered the same as an MP or minister, or an ambologist of the municipal assembly, any municipal assembly that he is. The focus should be on the government, the parliament, the judiciary, the prosecutor, and not on levels that are powerless, and the possibility that corrupt relatives are small --” has said Tahiri.

However, he points out that he has come up with this as an idea and in principle agreed, but he will by no means take the lead in himself, but will closely consult the AAK, their experiences, their shortcomings where they have been in the process, the Parliament's deputies, the Commission for Legislation, in order to harmonise attitudes.

Minister Tahiri's initiative is seen as good whether it takes place after a proper analysis of the countries' best practices and models, whether in the region or in the European Union.

Democratic League of Kosovo MP Vjosa Osmani told Kosovo Press that it must first be seen to the practices of other countries in order not to become experiments in Kosovo.

Before changes are made to the laws related to fighting crime and corruption, it is essential to first see effective models either in the region or other EU countries and to be looked at in those countries, models how wide the list of people to declare wealth, which have been categories that have largely been targeted and how much this has helped in concrete states in fighting crime and corruption. So they have to see good practices so that Kosovo doesn't do experiments that have already failed. And secondly, it takes cooperation with civil society”, Osman stressed.

She says that every official who is elected directly by citizens' votes has power in some form, including asampists as they have responsibility for public municipal property affecting citizens. However, if the assessments of organs that have done oversight of law enforcement are different, MEP Osmani says they as MPs are willing to reconsider that part.

Political society also praises the proposal of Minister Tahiri, whether it is aimed at focusing on the high level and not amnesty of any senior official, who violates the law or falls into conflict of interest.

However, according to Ehat Miftaw, from the Kosovo Institute for Justice, this should be done after an analysis that must be done by the Myistry of Justice.

“We like the IKD in progress have demanded that large numbers of officials declare property and in practice do not really have any power which we can say may conflict during the exercise of their functions. In Kosovo currently there are over 4 thousand people who make the property declaration. What's always happened in practice is that we have a lack of control, surveillance, as well as investigation, tracking cases of officials whether they contradict the law or conflict of interest. In this direction if the aim of the MD is to focus solely on high positions and those cases be addressed with priority and not have amnesty against those who violate the law in the case of high-level corruption, it can certainly be considered a good initiative”, Miftaraj said.

Miftaraj says institutions dealing with rule of law and fighting corruption should look at many even the ways of controlling senior officials.

The Ministry of Justice currently has a large number of laws aimed at meeting this legislative year, dealing with legislation fighting crime and corruption.