Blocking public funds for US sanctioned

Speaking to Radio Free Europe concerning the sanctions the state of Kosovo will undertake against the 13 people who were put on the US Treasury Department blacklist, Durmish said the prosecution organs are conducting investigations on these persons.

After the investigation, our institutions have to put these companies on the blacklist into the Procureing Organisation (OSHP), so that these companies can't compete in tenders”, Durmish said.

Currently, the legal possibilities for blacklisting businesses have the OSHP, also known as the Tender Court.

According to this institution's labour regulation, an economic operator can be entered blacklisted or “disqualified” following a complaint of contracting authority and after confirming that the economic operator has submitted false information or forged documents.

Meanwhile, on 17 December, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced that the company “RAD” D.O.O, which has entered the US Treasury blacklist, will not be part of the consortium in the contract: “summer and winter maintenance 2021-2022 of national and regional roads”.

We have removed the contract from the consortium and the contract is under way, since the other two economic operators are Albanians, they meet the criteria, and the contract is simply signed and everything is in order”, Durmish explained.

Company “RAD” D.O.O. and the other company P.T.P. “RAD”, owned by Radule Stitch. He is one of the people who made the list of sanctioned by the United States of America on December 8th.

Hodjiq: We will follow every government decision regarding sanctioned persons

Radule Stevic with his two companies from Kosovo institutions for various projects, mainly in northern Kosovo, by 2018 has won more than 60 tenders worth 5.6m euros.

North Mitrovica Deputy Chairman Adrijana Hodzic, this municipality where the company “RAD” D.O.O. has already won the road maintenance tenders, said this year this company has no tender in this municipality.

She told Radio Free Europe that any decision the Kosovo government will make against these people, the North Mitrovica municipality will implement.

I don't know what the situation will be in next year, because we have some projects, which normally according to the laws we've been working on so far, will be announced tenders and we can never know for certain who will win the tender. We will act in co-operation with the central level and take measures under the decision the Kosovo Government makes”, Hodzic stressed.

She said they've never had a problem with Radule Stitch's company.

My direct work has been that together with my colleagues working on projects, with engineers, architects, we can prove the situation on the ground and implement these projects. We never had a problem. Implementation has taken place as planned with the dynamic plan and the details presented in the project”, Hodzic said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has told the media on December 9th that the judicial system must act on the basis of the US decision.

The justice system [should] carefully convey all the decisions of the United States of America that have abundant information so that they have not only sanctions from the United States, but to be sanctioned, investigated, tried and sentenced here even to the”, Kurti has declared before the media.

IKD: Investigations Must Begin

Yll Zekiaj from the Kosovo Institute for Justice (IKD) told Radio Free Europe that the Government of Kosovo should consider implementing all procedures that there should not then be a return of these contracts or compensation from the judicial process.

The subx0 institutions that deal with public procurement should be careful that any such interruption of the contract is forwarded with the application of procedures, law enforcement, in order not to be given the same opportunity in the future to win such a case and then seek compensation and in this case damage to Kosovo budget”, Zeqaj stressed.

He said the tracking organs should deal with the criminal past and criminal activities that may be currently developing US-sponsored persons.

“I believe that the moment such persons are announced [undesirable] non-grats, this should be an indicator of investigative and prosecution organs, to be bold and to take measures to eventually start preliminary investigations into these persons, as it is an assumption that these persons are linked to criminal activities”, Zeqaj said.

However, days ago, Kosovo Police Director Samedin Mehmeti, during reporting to the Commission for Security and Defence Affairs, said police could not conduct any action on 13 people who were placed on the US Treasury Department's list of sanctions on December 8th.

He said that the fact that they are placed on this list does not imply that there is legal basis for carrying out action against them, but has made it known that if they have information related to crime, then there will be actions.

Who are the sanctioned?

The US Treasury Department has put sanctions on the list, among other things, Serbian List Deputy Chairman Milan Radojchicin, businessmen from northern Kosovo, Zvonko and Zarko Veselinovici, as well as Srdjan Vulovich, Zhelko and Andrija Bjiqi and Radula Stevijqi.

According to the decision that became known Wednesday 8 December, these persons have been identified as linked to corruption schemes and organised crime in Kosovo. In the U.S. Treasury Department communiqué, Zvonko Veselinovic is identified as leader of the organised crime group and also as one of the most notorious corruption figures in Kosovo.

His group is engaged in major bribery schemes with security, Kosovo and Serbian officials, who facilitate illegal trafficking of goods, money, narcotics and weapons between Kosovo and Serbia, the communiques are said.

So Milan Radojici in 2011 had also been charged in Serbia, due to the embezzlement of 32 hippo Alps Adria Lizing trucks. The charge was included in Zvonko Veselinovic, but both have been cleared of charges with an all - powerful decision in 2016.

Zvonko Veselinovic, in Kosovo, also connects with the murder of Serbian politician in Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic.

According to American law, with their introduction to the sanctions list, properties they may have acquired illegally are usually blocked and American citizens are forbidden to cooperate with in any way.