Investigation for Downloaded Boards of Public Enterprises Required

Millions of financial losses, unfavourable contracts, more liquidity problem, overemployment, nepotism, doubling positions, labels and unfair promotions are just some of the abuses identified by the Kosovo government in office in some public companies.

These abuses have been the reason for Kosovo's incumbent Government to sack the company's Bordets at Telekom, Post, the Kosovo Energy Corporation, nearly all of the water supply and sanitation companies, in the Trepca plant and at the Hullage Company “Infrakos<1>.

In all of these office executive companies, he has appointed temporary boards.

These allegations should be sent to the investigative bodies, civil society representatives say, under which public enterprise boards have been constantly politicised and preferred to employment.

According to them, politicisation of these boards has reduced the performance of most of public enterprises.

Ehat Miftaraj, director of the Kosovo Institute for Justice, tells Radio Free Europe that all alleged abuses on the boards of these companies should be sent to the State Prosecutor.

This institution is hoping that there will be professional approaches, there will be courage, and the same will treat them fairly, impartially and independently so that all assumptions, allegations of misuse will receive proper response”, Miftaraj said.

Even Artan Demhay from the non-governmental organisation “Arise”, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, says the arguments presented, according to government officials urgently need to be deposited to justice organs in order to address whether there are elements of certain criminal acts.

These facts and evidence should be handled by the Prosecution and Investigation, and if there is sufficient evidence based on and sufficient to establish charges and people for violations should receive merit sentences. This should certainly happen if there is evidence and evidence proving they have committed certain criminal acts”, Demhaja said.

Miftarian: Fighting Corruption Begins and Ends With Communities

But, Miftaraj and Demhayan suspect that justice organs will be taken more seriously with these cases, as politics have consistently influenced justice.

Ehat Mifraj says politics is one of the main factors that are pushing or dragging on treatment in courts of alleged corruption and organised crime cases, in which protagonists are also known political figures.

The justice institutions are able to adapt to circumstances, adapt to governments and governments. The state prosecutor, in many cases when this government publishes certain data or scandals, appears within the hour with claims that he will start investigating and tracking certain cases. But unfortunately, the fight against corruption and abuse begins and ends with media communiqué”, Miftaraj says.

Arton Demhayan, meanwhile, stresses that justice organs should take more seriously and more courageously cases of abuses on these occasions so that policyisation of public enterprises in the future may be curbed.

After most of the companies worked at losses, there were also harmful contracts, party employment not only on high-level board but also on other positions. Then, allegations that even civil society has argued that companies that have received tenders, then were financers of political parties. All of this must be investigated in order to prevent this phenomenon in Kosovo) said Demhaja.

Kurti: Practically Bandisque

Even incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that since his government has come to power he has encountered evidence of data that will undoubtedly be submitted to the investigation bodies.

We have also encountered in almost banditistic practices outside any minimum ethical standard that should necessarily prevail in public institutions”, has called Kurti in a media conference.

The appointment of members on public enterprises' boards in Kosovo is one of the processes that have been constantly criticised by civil society in Kosovo, and recently this process has been criticised by embassies of Western countries in Kosovo.

According to civil society, in Kosovo it has become a practice for each party or each coming coalition to power to appoint members of political parties on public enterprise boards, regardless of the qualifications or criteria required in the contest.

Even according to civil society, the division of positions has taken place since the time of the political parties' agreement on governing coalitions.