Both Minister and Adviser at his wife's company

Besim Beqaj has advised businesses from two positions simultaneously. On one side as minister of innovation and entrepreneurship, which is a public position, and on the other, the consultant's position for the private company MCD, in which the owner is his wife, Ylka Beqaj.

The Law on Confision of Interest, the position of adviser in private companies qualify it as a conflict of interest, in cases where the same person exercises public office.

Minister Beqaj's name has figured as consultant on the company's website until last week, but it has been erased a day after ORAinfo has sent questions to the ministry.

However, ORAinfo has secured all evidence of Beqaj's ties to this company, as well as the post he has exercised over the years.

The Council for Research and Training” is a description of Beqaj's position on the official website of the company, which has been erased after the portal's interest in the case. This action, on the part of the company, happened on May 8, 2018, one day after the newspaper was asked questions.
But ORAinfo owns the documents, along with the date and the year, until Minister Beqaj has been acting in the MCD.

In fact, Beqaj's name has figured as consultant in this company until May of this year. Meanwhile, the position of Minister of Innovation and Intervention Beqaj has taken in October of last year.

According to the evidence, several of the Minister Beqaj's early associates have also been conducted with Beqaj's company.

It finds the name Berat Rukiqi, then that of Beqaj's former adviser, Gzim Bajzak and colleague at Skender Ahmeti University.

The company website says “M The CD (Management, Consulting and Development) is a consulting company founded by professional people with experience in the fields of the academy, representation of the business community and that of policy making, with the aim of supporting companies in developing and expanding their business activities”.

MCD owner, Beqaj's wife

Another union of Minister Beqaj with the company is wife Ylka Beqaj. According to the Agency for Business Enrollment, Ylka Beqaj figures as the sole owner in the company. ORAinfo has sent questions to the company but has not received an answer even after two weeks of waiting.

As for the partners that the MCD has done, there are approximately 20 of them, and almost everyone comes from the private sector. The company reportedly assists businesses in corruption.
Meanwhile, according to Ayentia for registering businesses, MCD, has two people employed, while for primary activity there are <x0 business consulting options and council”.

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On the other hand, Minister Besim Beqaj himself has been brief in clarifying it for the possibility of conflict of interest.

On your questions, please refer to the Anti-Corruption Agency decision number 01-1811/15, on the 06.07.2015”, he said.

But the 2015 Anti-Corruption Agency decision referring to Beqaj, under which he is not in conflict of interest because his wife is his owner, does not clarify his involvement as consultant in the company, but only deals with the company's ownership issue.

Moreover, the agency in its decision does not rule out the possibility of this case reopening if presented, as stated in the decision, “new circumstances”.

ORAinfo has addressed this agency, claiming to present this new circumstance, which in this case is Beqaj's job as consultant in the MCD. From the Agency, they haven't commented on these findings.

Meanwhile, the Law on Conflict of Interest, Article 12, respectively, qualifies as a conflict of interest all counseling services for any private company by the public official.

The high officer cannot exercise attorney, notary, private depositor, bankruptcy manager, licensed expert, consultant or legal agent, and cannot be employed, full-time, in another task”

MCD offices in Kosovo's Economic Ode

The MCD company, which has been operating all these years, has conducted at the offices of the Kosovo Economic Ode, at which Besim Beqaj has been on a mandate.

ORAinfo learns that the MCD has contractual connections to the Chamber of Economics, to use its offices, but that this institution has not been able to provide clarifications.

Beqaj has led Kosovo's Economic Ode for five years, from 2005 to 2010.

The newspaper has also asked this institution whether it was Oda's practice to rent its offices for private businesses, but it has not been answered in this case.