Corruption not being fought at high levels

Fighting crime and corruption is one of the last conditions the European Union has decided to liberalise visas for Kosovo.

When it comes to corruption, however, those who go to prison for this work are low.

That is how the researcher from the Kosovar Institute for Justice, Ehat Miftaraj, is praising.

The “is actually going to prison, but it's mostly low, and usually people or persons who are the most likely of these sentences are those who are mostly conducators, poolers, or those who have misused official duty by five or ten euros,” says Miftaraj.

Miftaraj points out that the Special Prosecutor established to fight high-level corruption has emerged as the failed Prosecutor.

That's because for three years of this prosecution, there are only three convictions.

However, Naim Abazi prosecutor at the Constitutional Prosecutor in Pristina says they have taken the necessary measures to meet even this criterion for visa liberalisation.

“Since Pristina's basic prosecution has organised it and has taken all measures to deal with the subjects that are in priority, I can say that the treatment of the subjects since 2006 has begun to be treated according to the crime and corruption unit created by the chief state prosecutor, aimed at addressing these priorities. We as the fundamental court in Pristina have taken all necessary measures to meet the criteria for visa liberalisation,” says Abazi.

Even Africa Atashi from the Anti-corruption Agency stresses that this Agency is doing well in fighting corruption.

And we, like every time we do the public report, the annual report, where we've mentioned hundreds of cases we've handled for 2017, including when we've been tracking them to the prosecutor and the police, somewhere 109 cases we've been tracking them to the prosecutor and the police, and we've had cases of administrative violations of the competent organs. With full responsibility I can say that the agency is among the institutions that are struggling to prevent corruption,” he declares.

Lawyer Tome Gashi stresses that Kosovars should forget visa liberalisation this year.

The strong reason for it is the expulsion of six Turkish citizens from Kosovo.