Hakki Rugova says he accidentally signed the contract to award tender to his brother

The first of the Istog Community, Haki Rugova, in his defense given before the Peja Court Court court has admitted to signing the contract to award the tender to his brother Gani Rugova's company.

However, he held that signature by accident because it had been sent to sign with many other documents.

Rugova is accused of acting as chairman of the Istog municipality on August 1, 2014, by signing the contract with his brother's company, “Ma-Con” sh.p.k. for the construction of the sewer for the villages of Cerca and Lubozhda, worth about 300 thousand euros.

The mayor does not handle procurement. That contract, as usual, has been brought to the midst of many documents and contracts that need to be signed, and I have a practice of signing after signing an official that is competent in that case, and when it comes from the legal office I don't even read it, but I sign it”, the accused Rugova said.

According to Rugova for several procurement contracts, his signing as mayor is not necessary, but this is what the procurement manager, Zize Buyipaj, did.

Defending defendant Rugova, lawyer Besnik Berisha read the statement to the procurement manager, Zize Buyipaj, who had said the tender contract had accidentally signed Mayor Rugova.

“Zize Buyipaj in this court has stated the procurement activity, which is the object of the prosecution, and has stated that you have not participated in any activity for this contract and was accidentally sent to sign”, indirectly questioned Berisha's lawyer.

“Y accurate”, accused Rugova said.

Rugova added that he had not participated in any form in procurement procedures in which his brother had won the tender, but had accidentally signed the contract for the tender.

The “of course I haven't participated, because legally I'm not right, are the separate commissions that recommend the procurement office who it is or which operator is favourable for this and meets the” criteria, Rugova said.

When the defendant's defence ended with questions to indictees Rugova, the latter in consultation with his defender, decided not to be declared in prosecutor Ali Uka's questions.

Prosecutor Ali Uka considered Rugova's decision to defend himself quietly at the time it was turn to respond to the prosecutor of the case.

In this regard, lawyer Berisha said it was fair of the defendant to be protected in silence at any stage.

Otherwise, after the case had been returned after the shift of the chairman of the court, the retired Syke Loka Lokaaj were present for witnessing to witnesses Zize Buyjupaj, Sylle Maxutaj, Rrustem Gashi, Gani Rugova and Istogun representative Adam Avdij.

However, their testimony was not heard after the court approved Prosecutor Uka's proposal and the defendant's consent that the statements of witnesses given in the previous review be read.

While reporting on the statement of witness to witness Gani Rugova, the court decided to free this witness from testimony, since the same brother had the defendant Rugova and reserved it not to be declared.

All the material and personal evidence that constituted the subject of the criminal case were administered at this session.

Lawyer Berisha cautioned that according to him in the investigative procedure, when witnesses of the prosecution were heard, the defendant had not been invited, nor did I defend him to ask questions.

In addition, Berisha proposed that remarks on questions posed by the prosecution in investigations against his defence and that his statement had been taken in procedural violations, since it was not announced that the defendant should have defences.

Berisha proposed that these statements not be taken into account during the court's assessment of evidence.

On the other hand, prosecutor Uka stressed that any evidence was taken in procedural support, as, according to him, protection for the conflict of interest was not necessary.

“supported all this evidence that has been proposed to manage and we have no remarks on either one of them, and it is not necessary to assign protection to the investigation phase because defence is not mandatory”, prosecutor Uka said.

Otherwise, with the prosecutor Uka's proposal, the final wording hearing was postponed for May 31, 2021, 1500 p.m.

According to the act of Constitutional Prosecutor in Gjakova, founded on March 26, 2018, Haki Rugova is charged with acting as head of the Istog municipality on August 1, 2014, signing contracts with the “company. Ma-Con” sh.p.k. for building sewers for Cerca and Lubozhdez villages.

According to the indictment, at the moment of contract connection for construction work between the Istog municipality and the company “Ma-Con” sh.p.k. The company's director has been Gani Rugova, and the contract price has been 289,119.85 euros.

The prosecution's body claims that by these actions, accused Rugova, has enabled his brother, Gani Rugova, financial interest, to accuse him of committing the criminal work of conflict of interest.

Initially this subject was sent to the Constitutional Prosecutor in Pec, she had been delegated to prosecutor Haxhi Sinanaj, respectively.

But, the latter, on January 17th 2018, was directed to the head prosecutor of the Constitutional Prosecutorship in Gjakova, Ali Selimaj, and after consulting with Apel's chief prosecutor, Haxhi Derguti, as well as Agim Kurmehaj, the subject has been delegated to the Constitutional Prosecutor in Gjakova.

“The reason for sending this criminal case to the competence of this criminal case for defendant Haki Rugova is the fact that, in the same time that we have long known and are in social reports, so to be a fair and independent investigation, following consultation with Apel's chief prosecutor and the chief prosecutor of the Constitutional Prosecutor in Gjakova, we have agreed to send this criminal case to the authority of the Constitutional Prosecutor at Gjakova”, prosecutor Hadina Sinay wrote.

By contrast, Hakki Rugova, in the local elections of 2017, had won another term for the third time at the head of the Istog municipality. /Betimy for Justice