Arrest measure imposed against two police investigators, one sergeant

The news that these three suspects have been assigned a month-long detention measure for “The Justice Trust” has confirmed the defender of the suspect Mendjiqi, lawyer Skender Musa.

Otherwise, at a news conference organised by the Kosovo Police on Thursday, it had become known that, three police officials -- an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MPB), a businessman, and a citizen -- were arrested during Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, under suspicion of their involvement in corrupt relations.

Among those arrested were senior investigators at the Directorate for Investigation of Economic Crimes and Corruption, Dreem Osmani, the other police official, Lutfi Mendzic, as well as Chief Inspector of the Civil Recording Agency in MPB, Arben Mustafa.

For this operation, police officials have said the investigation had begun since last year.

According to them, the amounts for which police officials are suspected of having committed in favour of other people amounted to about 1,000 or 10,000 euros.

According to Kosovo Police spokesman Bucky Kelan, the first operation by the IPK had resulted in the arrest of three people, two policemen and one citizen, while Thursday's operation ended with three arrested -- an official in the ARC, a policeman and a citizen.

According to him, two officials arrested by the IPK had also been part of investigations conducted by the Kosovo Police.

The director of the Directorate for Investigation of Economic Crimes and Corruption, the Spahiu Union, has said that on October 17th 2019, this director, in co-operation with the Constitutional Prosecutor at Ferizaj, had started undertaking investigative actions for three suspected persons.

“The first AM suspect, chief inspector in the ARC, the second suspect LM, a police-line officer in the sector of economic crimes and corruption investigations, and to the third suspect LB W. Affairist from Kachanic, to which the alleged investigator from the economic crime sector has had an investigative approach and is suspected that more of creating favors in criminal and investigative procedures has been granted by alleged AM. From this investigation we have managed to collect necessary evidence with which the suspicion is based on the fact that the suspects are involved in criminal acts “the misuse of official position or authority”, “bribery” and “influence”, Spahiu said.

He said that on February 5th 2020, the directorate he leads had accepted control order from the Foundation Court in Ferizaj, which targets residences, labour offices, escorts and the homes of the three suspects.

The directorial for investigating economic crimes and corruption by February 6, 2020, is continuing the operation, we are almost in the final phase linked to the command of the Foundation Court in Ferizaj, with cʹrast we have carried out the ordinance in addressing three persons”, Spahiu said.

According to him, the alleged sergeant was suspended and that investigative procedure was under way against him, while the ARC official and the business citizen from Kacannik said they had been arrested.

Asked what was the connection to one of the suspects, Spahiu has said that the police investigator arrested by the IPK had family ties.

It's true that with the investigative arrested by the IPK, I have a family relationship, our parents, my father and his mother are children of two sisters, so I'm acquiess, but that doesn't make my approach or my staff watch to get rid of the case”, he said.

Riza Shallova, director of the Investigation Department, has said Thursday's operation has resulted in the arrest of a senior official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MPB), positioned chief inspector in the ARC, suspected of criminal activities.

According to Shalovova, it had proved that police officials were involved in this criminal activity who in collaboration with the ARC chief inspector had committed criminal activities.

We have a business citizen arrested by Kacanic who has been involved in this suspected criminal group. Yesterday through the media it was made public that two other IPK police officers were arrested who were involved in today's operation conducted by the Directorate for Economic Investigation and Corruption that have carried out activities that were also issued yesterday's control warrant and for which arrest was prepared today, but the same have been found to have other criminal activities investigated by IPK<18x1>, Shallova said.

According to him, we are dealing with two separate cases, one that is investigated by IPk, who are two police officials involved and arrested on February 5, 2020, who, according to Shiloh, were suspended by him for three days but who were also involved in the February 6, 2020 case.

“Today another police official has also been arrested, a sergeant who works within the context of economic crimes and corruption, and behind the information we have received from the IPK that will continue the police operation we have co-ordinated with the Directorate of Economic Crimes and Corruption and jointly participated in the development of other activities in the direction of control, of the spaces of alleged police officials”, SIova had said in other honors.

According to him, against top MPB official suspected of criminal activities had been exercised criminal denouncing in P. SRK also has the Crime Investigation Directorate and human trafficking.

He had said that there had been alleged criminal activities concerning counterfeiting documents, legalising false content, equipping with documents illegally, where suspects had been both Kosovo and foreign, according to him, the case of two Turkish citizens who had received Kosovo citizenship and documents.

According to him, these cases have damaged the image and reputation of both the police and the MPS and the ARC.

He said they had transferred a large number of police officials from all directors, and that according to him, they had been shot, resulting in preventing negative phenomena.

But he had stressed that there are other officials who could be involved in activities and criminal offences, but said they were committed to identifying all these officials, where 17 officials were transferred by the Directorate of Economic Crimes and Corruption Investigations.

Regarding police official Dhim Osmani, he said he was known for various violations within the police and against him were initiated internal disciplinary procedures, where, according to him, he had been investigated last year and was recommended to have this disciplinary transfer and stop at 21% wages.