Kosovo contracts with lack of transparency, professionalism

Five important contracts have been part of the table that addressed the harmful contracts implemented by Kosovo institutions, including the consequences they have.

The contract for the highway for Skopje, contracts with passports, Dardaphony contract, AXOS, and the Brezovica privateisation process have been counted in this case.

Alban Hashan executive director of the Riinvest Institute has presented a study drafted by the institute, where it has cited lack of transparency and professionalism.

He has called for the promotion of the prosecution's role in this respect, as well as that of the Parliament.

“170 million potentially would be the damage if all the plaintiff parties win in contest with the Kosovo government. The good news is, or bad, that only 65 million are missing, so if we put these into perspective, it's somewhere at 5 percent of Kosovo's budget, potentially if the Dardaphon case is again decided not in Kosovo's favour, it could increase to 90 million, Hashan said.

He has already mentioned the main shortcomings of contracts.

“S first is a lack of professionalism, so it clearly notes that there is a lack of professionalism in the design of public contracts, second is a serious lack of transparency, and third there are doubts but also allegations of misuse of the official position”, Hashan said.

He has added that the responsibility for this rests with the government, which as executive has responsibility for this.

Economic Development Minister Vladrin Luka has said the problem is the attitude towards the contract for which the commitment has been made.

The problem here, I believe, is more about the attitude towards that contract that we've already pledged, it's always caused us problems, that we haven't stood up, or at least we've agreed, we've signed contracts, maybe you know that we've met with those criteria that we've already agreed on, so I don't blame it, I'm specifically speaking to the big contracts, they're extremely professionally designed, but that part of tolerance that's been done, that's going to be said the lack of professionalism that's the days that's been in front of my contract, that's the problem, and that's the matter is the matter that's got us too much trouble.

He has said the presentation on arbitrations should be made by serious companies, because the problem is presentation in arbitration.

In the absence of Infrastructure Minister Paul Lekaj, Deputy Minister Fehmi Mujota received the word, who said that each government should implement contracts received by the pre-government because it could otherwise cause damage.

I think there's a few defects, if you can say guilt, in serious access at the moment when the change of governments has taken place, I say with competence and responsibility, I'm publicly saying if the mandate had ended, or if I had another minister's mandate, the contract with Bechtel Enka, Skopje-Eat of Elez would have no dilemma and no defect. Why. Someone would ask why? Why, I wouldn't have asked for the extension of the” contract, Mujota said.

MP Korab Sejdiu has said the government has a responsibility to the public, while the private company has no responsibility for public money. According to Sejdiu, the confidential clause should not have room in public contracts.

For me, it's very pointless when you, a minister, or a government in general, make a decision without taking the opinion of a company that's being paid for exactly 8 million euros for just that, and it's called in a decision when the government official, which I'm guarantee you that we don't have internal competencies, we don't have the internal capacity to value something like this in our administration, we understand all the problems we have with public administration, I'm telling you full responsibility that we don't have internal capacity, and we don't get a serious company, we don't just say what they't say in fact, if they come up with private administration, I'm going through any other contract, or whatever else they're doing, and they're doing, and they're doing it're doing it's going to do this whole-way.

Kosovo's government is facing judicial disputes, which stem from formalisation and inadequate implementation of public contracts. These judicial disputes show that Kosovo Government and other public institutions have failed to design full contracts and respect obligations stemming from such contractual relations.