Kosovo's Assembly dismissed the AKP board, but how did this privatisation process go to Kosovo?

Mimoza Kusari-Lila, chief of the Vetevendosje Movement Parliamentary Group, said the AKP has had a poor performance in relation to investment development and promotion of employment.

But how did the privatisation process in Kosovo fare?

The privatisation process in Kosovo has started in 2003 and has been constantly criticised for its nontransparentity, corruption and in some cases has also been described as the process of “collapse” of social enterprises. This process has been initiated by the Kosovo Trust Agency (AKM). In 2008 it was followed by the Kosovo Privatisation Agency (AKP).

In Kosovo, out of the 3,951 identified assets, 1,762 properties have been privatised so far, while not privatised have also remained 2,189, the AKP's response to the REL said. These properties, in 116 privatisation waves, have been sold worth about 760m euros.

Social companies in Kosovo have been sold through a method called regular spin-off, which allows for changing the company's destination. In contrast, companies that are considered large have been privatised with the special spin-off method, which does not allow the company's change of destination.

Farm, industrial, commercial, and construction land have also been sold during this process. In the AKP report, released in July last year, 840 lands of these categories are said to have been privatised.

Privatisation of Property by Politicians

Property of social companies or land of different categories in Kosovo has also bought political representatives or their family members.

The company “Mabetex Project”, owned by Behgjet Pacolli, privatised the social company “Framed” worth 2.4m euros.

Two years later, this company has also acquired an administrative building “Ramiz Sadikkun” worth one million euros. Just a year later, Behgjet Pacolli founded the New Kosovo Alliance party. After this year, Pacolli held the post of president, that of deputy prime minister, foreign affairs minister and deputy post.

And the chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, on 12 March 2010, in the village of Irzniq, in the Decani municipality, has bought about 200 (1,988,670 m2 ha) agricultural land worth 70 thousand euros, or 350 euros per hectare. His party, at the time, was in opposition.

KLA War Veterans Organisation deputy head Nasim Haradinaj in 2009 had privatised about 220 hectares of agricultural land (or 2,195,232 square metres) worth 257m euros. Same year, it had also privatised 476 agricultural land in the village of Rakoc, Gjakova, worth 817 thousand euros.

Nasim Haradinaj is currently in custody at The Hague under suspicion of criminal acts “against justice administration, namely, for obstructing official persons in carrying out official duties, fearing witnesses, taking revenge, and for violating the secrecy of procedure”.

Ilaz Selimi, brother of the former Self-Deputate Movement Rexhep Selimi, in 2006 has privatised with the special spin-off approach, company “Dania” in the Cline municipality worth 201 thousand euros.

And in 2009, Ilaz Selimi has privatised some 194 hectares of land (1,938,747.0 m2) in the village of Jasanica, Kline municipality, worth 101 thousand euros.

Rexhep Selimi from 2000 to 2003 has been commander of the Defence Academy and commander of the Training and Doctrine Command in the Kosovo Protection Corps. As of 2005, he was the secretary general of the AAK, a position he later resigned from. In 2010 he joined the Vetevendosje Movement and was elected deputy of the Kosovo Assembly.

Selimi, also since November last year, is in custody at The Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity filed by the Specialised Chambers and the Specialised Prosecutor's Office.

In 2005, “Geci Brothers S. P. K”, the company where one of the shareholders is the Gani Geci, former dates in the Kosovo Assembly from the Democratic League of Kosovo, has privatised the brick factory “Progress LLC” in Skenderaj, with the special spin-off approach, worth about 2m euros.

And in 2009, the company “Brothers Geci” has privatised agricultural land in the village of Lower Klina some 92 hectares (919,575 square metres) worth 200 thousand euros. Also, in the village of Turicevc, this company for 155 thousand euros has privatised 215 hectares (2,156,916 square metres) of agricultural land.

AKM documents burning

In August 2008, with the start of the work of the Kosovar Privatisation Agency, by its officials, in the courtyard of the former Kosovar Agency of Good faith building, burned documents have been found, while there were no documents or technical equipment in the office.

The burning of these documents was never investigated.

Dino Asanaj's death

As the privatisation process was under way, Dino Asanaj, former director of the Kosovo Privatisation Agency, and simultaneously American citizens died. Asanaj was found in Pristina compounds, in his private office without life signs, on June 14, 2012.

The international and local central institutions and political subjects, in their reactions to the world, the Asanj death had been described as murder.

But legal doctors in Kosovo have said that on the basis of the autopsy, Asanaj has committed suicide, causing himself to be 11 cuts and stabbed. The autopsy results had also confirmed the European Law Rule Mission (EULEX).

Court Conventions

During the privatisation process, according to the Kosovo Kosovo Privatisation Agency, about 25 thousand subjects are in court processes, of which 20 thousand subjects are treated in the Special Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kosovo, dealing with disputes directly related to social enterprise assets and the AKP's work. In these conflicts, social companies and the AKP are as parties to which indictments have been filed.

Also, with regular courts in the Republic of Kosovo, there are 5,000 subjects which are initiated by the AKP for the interest of social companies. In these disputes, the AKP as the representative and social companies is like the plaintiff party.

Parliamentary Investigations

The privatisation process has also ended in a parliamentary investigative commission, in the second part of last year. This commission was formed at the request of the Democratic Party of Kosovo Parliamentary Group.

The commission had launched an investigation into the privatisation process since the beginning of the work of the former Kosovo Trust Agency, followed by the Kosovo Privatisation Agency.

For the privatisation of public enterprise properties, the parliamentary investigative commission had invited 21 witnesses, responsible for the privatisation process.

The commission has not provided final findings concerning what violations of eventual procedures or abuses may have occurred in the privatisation process. However, sufficient indicators have been said to make them believe that the privatisation process over the next two decades has been followed by a large number of irregularities.

The commission has not finished work after the Kosovo Assembly was disbanded on January 6th. The division of parliament followed the Kosovo Constitutional Court ruling, which said the government led by Avdullah Hoti was elected unconstitutionally.