9 minutes agoHow Brezovica turned into a corruption scheme
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)In the 1990s, the village of Brezovica in the southern part of Kosovo was one of the most attractive centers for winter tourism. Nearly three decades later, this ski centre has become one of the largest corruption links the Kosovo Prosecution is investigating. Hundreds of illegal construction, environmental degradation, giving and receiving [...]
Nearly three decades later, this ski centre has become one of the largest corruption links the Kosovo Prosecution is investigating.
Hundreds of illegal construction, environmental degradation, bribery and bribery are just some of the crimes Ferizaj's Founding Prosecutor has filed two counts against 20 people.
The accused include Bratislav Nikollich, former head of the Shrpca municipality, where Brezovica is located, then municipal directors, environment ministry officials, builders and other persons who have helped or bribed construction permits.
In this case, in which about 100 persons were investigated, prosecutor Rasim Maloku gives details about Radio Free Europe, among other things, shows how Nikollic, as Chairman of the Shtrpca, has illegally issued construction permits in Brezovica, in exchange for bribery, how municipal inspectors have not banned the works, and how environmental Ministry officials have neglected their work with the degradation of National Park “Sharri” in Brezovica.
Maloku also speaks of Milan Radojici's efforts, deputy chairman of Kosovo's largest Serb party, the Serbian List, to prevent investigations through witness intimidation.
Radovac is on the run and is wanted for witness intimidation in the case of Brezovica.
He, too, is allegedly linked to the still inexorable murder of the Serbian opposition politician in Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, in January 2018, while the US put him on a blacklist because of suspicion of involvement in international crime.
According to the prosecution, from 2013 to 2022, more than 100 objects have been built in Brezovica illegally. For their construction, the prosecution says more than 2m euros in bribes have been granted.
In the first indictment to be established in 2020, 11 persons were included, mainly municipal officials, builders and property owners without permission.
First instance in “Brezovica”
After a long investigation, the Constitutional Prosecutor at Ferizaj has filed an indictment in 2020 against 11 persons suspected of misuse of office, construction without permission, degradation of nature, and violation of other laws. These works relate to the construction of dozens of weekends of houses and hotels in Brezovica.
The case attorney, Rasim Maloku, says that the more the investigation has been tracked in this case, the more the investigation has expanded.
This, according to him, has led to the establishment of the second indictment on November 9, 2022. In it, former head of Shtrpce, Nikollic, is described as the leading man to receive a bribe in exchange for granting construction permits in protected areas of National Park “Sharri” in Brezovica.
In the second indictment, besides Nikollici, the director of Urbanism is again involved, as well as two municipal inspectors, the director of Cadastra in Shrpca and others.
Suspicions for over a million euros in bribery
The former head of Shrpca, Bratislav Nikollic, allegedly received more than a million euros in bribes from construction companies and investors.
According to the indictment, he was the main person from 2013 to December 21, 2021 who had directly influenced building permits.
In just one case, according to the indictment, Nikollic allegedly has enabled the delivery of construction permits in the “National Park. Sharri” and through the responsible person of the company “Quka Co”, Alban Quka, who was to carry out construction, has received 210,000 euros for 21 weekend construction permits for investor “Stella Consulting”, as well as 200,000 euros for construction permits of the hotel facility “Stella Consulting”.
The amount Bratislav Nikollic has received
The prosecution's file in the case “Brezovica” highlights the fact that former head of Shtrpca, Bratislav Nikollic, has been the main person to decide on giving permission.
for the construction, which was largely started in 2013.
But what are the amounts he allegedly accepted in the form of bribery?
Despite the effort, Radio Free Europe has failed to contact the owner of the company “Quka Co”, or other owners of construction companies, as well as investors suspected of bribery.
In an active investigation into this case, there are actually 40 people, but the case prosecutor, Rasim Maloku, does not want to provide more information about who they're talking about or what they're suspected of.
What are municipal officials accused of?
The indictment states that Nikollic was the principal person to decide whom to issue construction permits.
According to the indictment, granting permits in some cases has enabled Urbanism director in Shtrpca, Dimitrije Rakicevic.
He is charged that in co-operation with the two municipal inspectors, Hysni Bajrami and Dragomir Milosavljevic, have not met official tasks, have either failed to stop building facilities in areas banned for construction, with the aim of enriching themselves.
According to the prosecution, in some cases, they have received amounts of 5 thousand euros, while in another case, 14,000 euros.
Also included was the director of Cadastra in Shrpca, Sasa Milosavlevq. He is accused of receiving money from construction companies and other physical persons in exchange for providing necessary documentation, as well as construction permits.
What are officials of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning accused of?
In the indictment, officials of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Kosovo (MMPH) are not accused of taking bribes.
The charges charged against them involve misuse of official duty, with the aim of profiting wealth for the other.
According to the indictment, former MMPH Secretary Arben Citaku has ruled on granting environmental consent to some items that are illegally built in Brezovica.
The chief inspector of this ministry, Bedri Halimi, who, according to the prosecution, has not taken legal-eczekitive action to prevent the construction of weekends and hotels, even though he has been aware that they were being built without environmental consent.
Bedri Halim's defence lawyer, Haxhi Milaku, tells Radio Free Europe as his client does not feel guilty about any of the charges he is charged with.
If someone hasn't acted, then there are the tracking organs, the competent prosecution, respectively, that is now pressing charges against a man who has no legitimate action or inaction, says Milaku.
Seventy-five temporarily seized objects
Under suspicions that they were built illegally, 75 items have so far been seized in Brezovica.
“These villas have been confiscated for the fact that they were built in a protected area, strictly forbidden to build”, says prosecutor Maloku.
Among those who have been confiscated are three judges, politicians, businessmen, as well as citizens who have bought them some of them, likely unaware that they were built illegally.
Radio Free Europe has contacted several owners who have been confiscated from villas, but many of them have either not been accessible or have not wanted to talk, reasoning that the prosecution is handling the case.
Meanwhile, Kosovo businessman Shacir Palushi, who has been seized a weekend house in Brezovica, says he bought it in November 2021 for a total of about 200,000 euros and that the seller has proven to him that he has all the necessary permits.
Palushi says she was unaware that it was built in the area of the National Park “Sharri”, where construction is prohibited by law.
The “is equipped with construction permits issued by the Sterpce Community in 2017. I had no knowledge or connection. And, of course, I'm in favour of those responsible if they've committed violations, but I think in our case... and as far as I know, at least a few others, who are next door to our villa... we don't even have the smallest blame of”, Palushi tells Radio Free Europe.
The case attorney, Maloku, does not rule out the possibility that some of the owners were unaware of legal violations.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe, it offers a rough price of villas built in banned areas in Brezovica.
Preventing Investigations
Brezovica is located in the Sterpce municipality, which most of the population has Serbian nationalism.
Serbian political representatives, including the mayor of the municipality and most of the directors, have traditionally led the municipality.
Investigations in this case, according to prosecutor Maloku, have exacerbated Serb parallel structures operating in Kosovo, supported by the state of Serbia.
For any activity we've developed in the Brezovica area, we've been monitored by illegal structures, and this has affected security in a way, but the investigation itself in this matter”, Maloku says.
Just in the case of Brezovica, deputy chairman of the Serbian List, Milan Radojic, has active arrest warrants and is on the run.
After the investigation was launched in this case, Radoic allegedly influenced co-operative witnesses, threatening and fearing them not to co-operate with the prosecution.
Prosecutor Maloku says there are doubts based that the means that were taken in bribery by municipal officials in Shtrpce, in exchange for providing construction permits, in some cases have gone towards financing the political subject, the Serbian List ʹ of which the party is also the former head of Shtrpca, Nikollic.
Prosecutor Maloku says that on the basis of investigations, there are suspicions based on the fact that large sums of money have been sent through cross-space transactions from Kosovo to Serbia.
Free Europe Radio has requested comment from the Serbian List on prosecution claims, but officials of this political subject have not responded.
Court priority treatment required
The first act against 11 people in the Brezovica case was handed over to court in 2020, but, so far, the trial has not begun.
The executive director of the Kosovo Institute for Justice, Ehat Miftaraj, says that in this case, the court must act with priority, as involved are people of different profiles. And, according to him, there may be those who will try to find alternative ways to escape justice.
The court's “System, as well as the prosecutor, should have, in the first place, offered support to judges and prosecutors in this case, to exercise their duties and responsibilities in the most independent manner possible, but also to have the state prosecutor take steps against anyone who, through illegal ways, is trying to influence”, Miftaraj tells Radio Free Europe.
In the report released in January, the international organisation, Transparency International, has estimated that Kosovo has noted easy progress in the fight against corruption.
While the Brezovica case still remains under investigation and pending the launch of court hearings, prosecutor Rasim Maloku says he does not know what the final outcome will be, whether or not, the villas and hotels built illegally in Brezovica.
