The Jarra Life Organization with millions of benefits: Basota publicly accuses him of blackmail

In a public testimony to members of a parliamentary commission, on April 28th of this year, Sali Basota has charged Life Jarrea, director of the Investigative Journalism Network (BIRN), with pressure and blackmail related to the continuation of a large contract in favour of her organisation.

At the Kosovo Parliament's Board of Radio Television's meeting of the Commission for Business and Finance, the director of Kosovo's Radio Television Board has been declared for a form of blackmail that, according to him, Xharra Life has been exercising this year on the board and management of public broadcasters.

According to Bashata, Xharra's pressure on RTK is linked to the interruption of BIRN contracts with RTK for two television shows, of which the Jarres-led organisation had benefited over two million euros of Kosovo taxpayers.

“They [ BIRN has been putting pressure on me constantly. And if their contract had been continued, it wouldn't have been with my son-in-law or RTK, so millions of euros has been received for four years”, Basota said briefly.

On March 30th of this year, Portal Kalxo.com reported on Bashata's forced employment, Liridon Konushefci, as homekeeper in RTK, under contract on the work.

Basota had denied it.

He doesn't work in RTK and the groom, even since I came in the board hasn't worked, 3-4 months. There's a job that doesn't work, and it's interrupted, as I became chairman of the board I asked him not to work there. No family of mine works at RTK”, Basota said.

But the story in which Basota includes Jarre is longer. It started in May 2020, the Insander newspaper revealed.

A file that the paper has secured shows doubts that Jarra has used a project funded by the European Union (BE) to exert public television pressure to continue contracts previously cut off for two BIRN emissions transmitted to the Public Broadcasting for 16 years: Kosovo “Justice” and <x3 beta in Kosovo”.

The project is a memorandum agreement between BIRN and public broadcasters, writes Insander newspaper.

Based on the agreement, BIRN and RTK would produce dozens of television coverage on behalf of “the consolidation of the capabilities of current and future Kosovo journalists”. The consortium consisted of other organisations, along with BIRN and RTK. BIRN led the project.

However, the agreement has not been closed. It has refused to implement the Investigative Journalial Network (BIRN).

The director of this organisation, Yarra Life, has attempted to use the European Union project to bring back to RTK's screen of its two other emissions, even though contracts for two television programs were terminated in a separate process.

BIRN has conditioned RTK leaders with the removal of public broadcasters from the project, if they would not accept the purchase of two TV shows produced by BIRN, for which RTK would have to pay about 200 thousand euros, writes Insander newspaper.

In a communications carried out in December last year between Xharra and RTK leaders, it links the issue of raw materials under the EU project, with the two previously broadcast BIRN emissions at RTK.

Jarra insists that joint application RTK and BIRN into the EU project translate into RTK's pledge to continue contracts for broadcasting two emissions.

For more, just the current management, so Mr. Arifaj and Mr. Dating Kastrati, you were RTK's management when we applied together in April 2019 to the EU and if you wanted to get us all out of RTK why did you commit to applying with us for a project that lasts until the end of 2021? Addresss Jarra, the leaders of RTK.

The fact that you're committed then to apply together, and today you're pulling out of transmission, it's doing to RTK because, like RTK, by the application that you signed with your hand (and not any other prior director) you've been devoted to transmitting all the programs produced by all the partners in this” project, The director of BIRN continues.

But the process of cutting and continuing RTK contracts with BIRN for the two emissions -- “Life in Kosovo” and “Justice in Kosovo” -- is divided by the EU project -- makes it clear to RTK leaders, Jarras.

And we project not only are not just us, but there are several partners, so the fact that you're setting the transmission of emissions does not stand because it should therefore be worth all [other partners in the project with the EU, v.j], not just for RTK at”, Says the response of RTK deputy director Lorik Arifaj to Xharra.

That the process of continuing contracts for two other BIRN emissions with RTK is the process shared by the two organisations' project with the EU, the Jarres Life application to RTK's Audio-Visual Commission to restore emissions on public television testifies.

The process of co-production of emissions between RTK and outside subjects is provided with public broadcaster regulations. They go through the Audio-Visual Commission, before being approved by RTK directors.

In an e-mail sent to this commission on October 26th, Jarra praises BIRN's work with two emissions. It requires continued cooperation.

The newspaper Insander has also secured the complete Memorandum Agreement between RTK and BIRN, in which no continuous transmission of emissions for which Jarra puts pressure on RTK's directors.

In the Memorandum of Co-operation on this project, which has been signed for the period from January 1st 2020 to December 31, 2021, only reports involving human rights are presented.

“Objective 3.1 Product and broadcast 12 television coverage promoting human rights, social issues and rule of law”, is the agreement point between these two signatories.

“RTK is obliged to produce and conduct six TV coverage that will promote human rights and discuss important social issues and rule of law”, It says in this memorandum.

The newspaper Insider has contacted Jarre on the matter, but until the publication of this text, she has received no answers on her part.

BIRN's millions of benefits for 16 years

For the next 16 years, the Balkan Investigative Journalial Network -- BIRN, led by Life Jarra -- has benefited from Kosovo payers' taxes close to 2m euros.

According to bills provided by Insander newspaper, the BIRN bill for its two sections “jeta in Kosovo and Justice in Kosovo”, which it broadcast on Kosovo Radio Television (RTK), amounts to 1,914,312.00 euros.

While RTK has fulfilled its obligations to BIRN for these years, at the value of 1m and 630,487 euros, writes Insander newspaper.

According to documents provided by Insander, B The INR for one issue is paid 1,000 and 350 euros, while the value for two emissions is 2 thousand and 700 euros. The number of both emissions during this period has been 168. 84 for the “-Life show in Kosovo” and 84 for the Kosovo “Directorate of Kosovo “.

The Commission for Business, Work and Transfer on April 28th of this year has approved the report on Kosovo Radio Television spending for April-June 2021. The adoption of this report has been made under the condition that RTK match the reporting forms and adapt projections.

Also approved at this commission meeting, the Kosovo Radio Television spending report for the months of January-March 2021 has been adopted, but this report has also been adopted with remarks.

Director RTK's Victor Kastrati had already declared debt RTK is 2m and 750 thousand euros, but said it aims to reduce the same for 1m euros by the end of this year.

If we look at the audience's financial mirrors which are public, we have a debt at the end of 2018, 5 million and 200 thousand euros, today when we've submitted the final March report we've sent to the Assembly is a debt of 2 million and 750 thousand euros. It's about 2 and a half million less, we believe that by the end of this year the debt of RTK has to fall for another million euros”He said Kastrati.