Government Kurti made nearly 2.7m euros for the company close to convicted businessman

Two conflicting developments happened to businessman Armend Selimi, on December 16th of this year.

He was sitting in the dock. Prosecutor Duline Hamiti asked the court that businessman Selimi be sentenced to prison because of fraud charges, writes Insander newspaper.

A positive development took place outside the courtroom for Selim. The Sodex Group, which is part of its network, had received a letter from the state. From the Kosovo Police. It was reportedly announced as the Grand tender winner, worth over 2 million and 700 thousand euros.

The announcement had come from Kosovo Police official Xhevahire Vatovci. Businessman Selimi is familiar with this police official.

Both were charged in 2015 with the major arms scandal, Vatoci, as the Procurement official at Selimi's Police, as a businessman.

A day later things got worse for Armend Selimi as regards the ongoing judicial developments. He was found guilty of the criminal offence of “Fraud” and sentenced to six months in prison.

Despite that, however, Kosovo police decided not to eliminate the firm “from the race. Sodex Group”, which is part of the businessman Selimi's root. I insist that he respected the law when he declared the winner the company close to the already convicted businessman.

Police award the tender 400,000 euros more expensive to businessman's company convicted of fraud

The newspaper Inseyder, has found that in addition to Kosovo Police, it awarded tenders over 2.7m euros to businessman Armendi Selimi's network company, whose past is linked to corruption with weapons supply, it also had the price for 400 thousand euros more expensive.

Kosovo police had initially accepted seven bids for the grand tender “Princing with Antiplumba”.

He announced the winner, first time the Pricom/Seyentex company. NV. This operator's offer totaled 2m and 346 thousand euros. After the winner was declared, other competing operators have filed complaints seeking to reassess the tender.

The Kosovo Police Procurement Office turned it into re-evaluation. But by December 16th of this year, he won the second company “Sodex Group”, close to the businessman convicted of fraud.

Company “The Sodex Group”, in addition to being part of the businessman's network, whose past is also linked to weapons supply, had the price of 400 thousand euros higher than the first company to have been declared the winner.

“Sodex Gropu” won the Police's tender for antiplumbing supplies worth 2 million and 758 thousand and 950 euros, writes Inseder newspaper.

The Kosovo Police Procuration Office has argued its action against the company “ “The Sodex Group”, saying that other companies after reevaluation have emerged as irresponsible offers.

The “Commission has made re-evaluating bids under the required criteria in reporting the contract, tender file and mandatory technical specification of the tender file, and has recommended for contract the economic operator's offer as the sole responsible offer by meeting all the required criteria in reporting the contract, the Tender File and mandatory technical specification”.

Until the company that had originally declared the winner, at the price of 400,000 euros less than “The Sodex Group”, Kosovo Police say they had not met technical specifications.

The economic operator, which has the lowest price from the re-evaluation commission, has been declared irresponsible after failing to meet the mandatory technical specifications of the tender file required by the AK”, says the police's response to the Insander Journal.

Armend Selimi's story with official Xhevahire Vatovci and Kosovo Police tenders

Even more scandalous the whole process of the Kosovo Police tendering made the fact that the senior procurement official in Kosovo police, Xhevahire Vatoci, was even more involved in the corruption scandal with weapons along with Armend Selimi.

This official was arrested on October 5, 2011, along with businessman Armend Selimi. Under the charge that they have established criminal networks of financial abuse at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In 2015 The Special Prosecutor, however, had charged businessmen Armend Selimi of the Astritus company “Friends” and Xhevahire Vatovci and two other interior affairs ministry officials.

They were suspected of suspicious acts regarding the arms tender and favors to businessmen.

Vatoci as director of the Kosovo Police's Procurement Directorate was charged with paying the bills issued to the Kosovo Police for articles mentioned in tenders for sums higher than the real price, not choosing the company, which had submitted the offer at the lowest price and many other actions.

Some 3.1m euros have been collected from the police budget in six companies controlled by businessmen Armend Selimi and Astrit Piraj.

These five people, according to the indictment, have worked together to manipulate at least three tenders between 2009 and 2011. According to the indictment they used internal information, have eliminated the most favourable offers for false reasons, and have accepted goods at very high prices.

The weapons scandal was uncovered by EULEX Prosecution.

This resulted in the establishment of the indictment against two businessmen, of the three MPB officials including Vatocin.

Now the same official that was involved in the excise of the arms scandal, along with businessman Armend Selimi, announced on December 16th to the Sodex Group company, that it has been declared the winner of a new Kosovo police tender.

The one for “Antinebilization”, worth 2 million and 758 thousand and 950 euros.

Kosovo police have not answered Gazeta Insander's question, if official Xhevahire Vatovci has been declared for conflict of interest during the proceedings of this public tender.