Government appoints deputy minister convicted of bribery

In the first case, he, as former head of the Department of Internal Affairs Manufacturing Division, has been convicted by the Court in Pristina. While in the second case, he is mentioned by Natali Velija convicted of the passport case that the new deputy minister had awarded 650 thousand euros, bribes.

In the first case, Berisha was accused of misusing office and discovering official secrecy in connection with producing documents and signs of passport safety.

The Berisha court had sentenced him to six months in prison on condition of discovering official secrecy, while having cleared him of charges of abuse of office.

In the indictment, the prosecution claimed that Berisha information on the production of documents and basic signs of the safety of biometric-vendosje and chip passports, their launch mode and sewing.

For another case with passports, Besnik Berisha, who now enjoys the post of deputy minister, was included again. Natali Velija, who is sentenced to the passport scandal for Insider in an interview last year, publicly stated that Besnik Berisha had given exactly 650 thousand euros in bribes.

(Yykata pleads guilty Besnik Berisha)

She even confessed other names to which Berisha, according to her, has shared this money.

“Plus, 650 thousand euros have been awarded to Besnik Berisha, chief of production at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Berisha was not accused of that, as according to Velijat, the prosecution had no will to investigate others.

She adds that the amount given by 650 thousand euros, Besnik Berisha, has shared with other interior affairs ministry officials: Arben Osmani director of the Civil Status Record, Bekim Hoxha, Agim Fejzullahu é director of the MPB Procurement Office and Abednego Mehmetin, chief head of the Civil Recording Agency.

“I repeat: 650 thousand euros have been allocated to interior affairs ministry officials”, she insisted in an interview given last year.

Bribery for MPB officials has been granted, according to her, to make concessions for the Austrian company. Nearly all the company's demands were met by MPB.

The 1m-million-euro <x0.000 euros paid by MPB, 30 thousand I gave to the Shala Union, 650 thousand loyal Berisha. I have 150 grand on Bujar Canoll's account on behalf of the renovation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 160 thousand have been paid Dogans and VAT”, she correctly.

Meanwhile, Besnik Berisha had denied everything. He said it wasn't true he took a bribe. He said no Natalie Veliaj claim remains.

“I haven't stated, if anyone has told anyone, someone from the cabinet has told them, I don't have a choice because I'm not the one who decides for the tender that neither am I a contract manager, nor did I communicate the specifics, would he say he made a commission that the minister of that time and the cabinet”, Berisha said.

It denied the acceptance of cars with smaller capacity and without spare cars. He said he didn't have that competence.

I'm not a researcher, they're done through the commission that has the tender specifics. I'm not in that commission, I'm not in the commission, I'm not even a contract manager”, Berisha told Inseder.

He showed when 50,000 passports were received that were checked. That's all he had done. He also said his department had no authority to specify specifics.

I can't help it, because I'm all out of it, says Berisha.

The Kosovo government through a decision today has named Besnik Berisha to the post of Labour and Social Management Ministry deputy minister.

According to the indictment, the group led by Natali Velija and the Benite Blakaj distributed money through a network of private construction companies that failed to pay their obligations to the state.

The Act set up against the group coincided with how hundreds of thousands of euros were distributed through their companies' network to hide the origin of money. According to the indictment, their aim was to hide the nature and origin of stolen money. /Insider