Deputy Police Director in Gjakova suspected of collaboration with smugglers

Tuesday morning had started with a major and well-planned action by Kosovo Police in northern Mitrovica. The event took place both in the Drenica and Prizren region. Four customs officers and four civil officials were arrested at the border checkpoint in Vermica. Among them was customs officer Besart Malaj, suspected of misusing official duty.

Periscope Today he has contacted Lieutenant Colonel Azem Malaj (Bessart Malaj's father) who confirms his son's arrest.

My son has not been caught smuggling for goods, but has been suspicious of smuggling with goods and has not been released. He's still in custody. Suspected of misuse of official duty, Malaj said of Periscope.

Basic Prosecutor's Chief Prosecutor in Prizren, Admir Shala for Periscope has provided more details about the case. According to him, the arrest of four customs officers came under suspicion of misusing official duty. Suspects are now under house arrest.

Four customs officers and four official civilians have been arrested. Customsmen have been arrested for misuse of official office, under suspicion that they have enabled smugglers to get their goods uncontrollably through the border crossing. They have been detained 48 hours initially and then the helmet has been made for the appointment of the detention measure. Even the detention hearing was held yesterday in Ferizaj because it has been transferred from Prizren to Ferizaj, while Prizren's prosecution holds the case. According to media information, because officially the decision has not come to us, the house arrest measure has been imposed on customs officials. While the detention measure has been scheduled for citizens, Shala has said of Periscope.

In addition, it shows that investigations into these suspected customsmen were launched a year ago and that they have sufficient evidence against them.

The lawyers have been arrested after a one-year investigation deadline using even the secret investigative measures, and after sufficient evidence, it has proved a suspicion that they have performed the works. Again, we are in the investigative phase and material evidence will still be collected, the chief prosecutor Shala points out.

He says Prizren's Constitutional Prosecutorship will file complaints that four alleged customs officers, from house arrest, return to custody.

We believe we'll file a complaint against house arrest and see. Return to prison, Shala adds.

News of the arrest of four customs officers had confirmed the Kosovo Customs on Tuesday morning.

According to the communiqué after a several-month investigation, action was launched Monday evening for the arrest of persons suspected of misusing official office and KPtrabands.

The arrested “persons are four customs officers and seven citizens, Customs had said.

“Customs officers with H.D. initials, B.M., D.H., and A.Z. are suspected the same in co-ordination have committed criminal work “The use of official position or authority” by Article 422 paragraph 1 related to KPRC's Article 31. While the other four suspects -- two of them citizens of the Republic of Albania -- with the initials M.A., V.S., V.S. and L.R. -- are suspected that the same in co-ordination were committed by “the smuggling of goods” by Article 31 over KPRK's Article 31, <x5gtia banned from Article 305, paragraph 2, regarding the 31st KPR and <7x> Evacuation from paying mandatory customs tariffs” from Article 318 paragraph 2, concerning KPRK's Article 31,”, the prosecution said in the press report.

On Tuesday of this week, 19 police officials in northern Kosovo were arrested under suspicion of “smuggling of goods”, for “Using official task”, for “Brigancing” and for the “-Tregt prohibited”.

Besides members of the police, 11 more citizens ended in the action conducted two days ago. The group of detainees allegedly smuggled various goods, ranging from food, alcoholic, nonalcohol to animals.

Kosovo's prosecution, together with Inskorati and Police, at a news conference Tuesday, had suggested all the details of the action in the country's north.

Prosecutor Sylla Hoxha had said the investigation of this case had begun a year earlier.

I'm warning you that the prosecution has begun the investigation since last year has begun procedures for a crime of orgasm, smuggling, taking bribes and bribery. During this period the prosecution has co-operated with Kosovo Police Inspectorate and police, performing many actions”, Syla said.

During a year's investigation, Hoxha has shown that they have gathered facts about these people, superiors and police officials.

The procedure has also heard testimony during this one-year investment and has finally submitted the request to the Constitutional Court in Pristina. Among these suspects are superior and police officials as Serbian, Albanian, Bosniak as well as citizens who have committed their acts of smuggling”, Hoxha said.

Kosovo's “Police Inspector after about a year of investigation authorised by the Prosecutor in co-operation with the police has carried out this warrant for arrest. Police officers arrested are suspected of smuggling goods, bribery, etc. Twelve locations have been raided, 19 Kosovo Police officers, 11 of the Serbian Nationality, 4 of Albanian Nationality and 4 of the Bosnian Nationality have been arrested. Weapons, technological equipment, and a amount of money have been confiscated. The investigations will continue further, they have been detained for 48 hours, as part of the administrative procedure have been suspended from task”, she said, Pryscopy follows.

Meanwhile, Rashit Qalaj, director of the Kosovo Police, had said this has been a highly successful operation, despite the difficulties faced during its implementation.

The operation has been performed smoothly, except for the part of Zubin Potok municipality, after police have encountered a shooting ambush. We have given orders for the engagement of the elite police units we have. We have given orders to remove the barricades and infiltrate Zubin Potok to reach the locations we had under arrest warrants. Three injuries have been in an effort to remove barricades on the road. I can say as a general conclusion that the operation has been quite successful. The operation was carried out very successfully, we didn't have a serious injury to”, Qalaj said./Periscopi/