Italian visas, Uke Rugova, and others are quietly protected

All of these are accused of acting as a criminal group, for the purposes of material gain, illegally equipped citizens with Schengen visas from the Italian Embassy in Pristina. The charge says Uke Rugova had managed this criminal group, reports Justice Vow.

Indictee Uke Rugova, Astrit Haraqi and Qefser Baholi have declared they will exploit their legal right to defend themselves quietly over charges placed on him.

And the accused Petani during this trial has sometimes pointed to the fact that a parallel criminal procedure is under way in Italy, on the same facts and cases, with the same judicial qualifications.

The criminal procedure in Italy has resulted in a free trial act, which has taken a definite form because the prosecution has not complained. Now this issue is a trial issue worth stopping the trial twice the same issue, which is guaranteed by Article 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, accused Petani has declared.

He has also said that from the beginning of the criminal procedure against him, both in Kosovo and Italy, according to him, he has always let the special prosecutor and court know both in Pristina and in Rome that they are in conflict of jurisdiction.

Petan said he has demanded that he not be tried in parallel for the same case but that no one had heard it, so he asked the court to take a rejection case for the fact that, according to him, there is now only a formal form of judgment.

Meanwhile, the accused Beqiri has been declared on the issue only by answering his defender's questions, lawyer Besnik Berisha, and later chose to defend himself quietly.

Responding to lawyer Berisha's questions, he has said he does not stand and is untrue to the prosecution's claim that he and Uke Rugova have created, organised, monitored or directed the activities of a structured criminal group that has been largely involved in smuggling migrants.

He also said that he has never been involved in smuggling immigrants, as well as denying the prosecution's claims that he has forged, changed, created any false content documents, for persons mentioned in the indictment.

Beqiri has said he has never accepted any benefits from any citizen so that he or his family can illegally obtain the visa through corruption at the Italian Embassy, as well as has stated that he is not directly or directly involved in any of the witness cases in this trial.

The same has said that with Uke Rugova and other family members, even former President Rugova have been known personally since the 1990s, but that they have never had any business activity in common with them.

As he has said there has been no business in common with any of the other indictees in this criminal case.

And, concerning the gun-pistore seized at his house, Beqiri said that regarding that weapon there was permission issued by competent authority, even later equipped with permission for the other weapon, since according to him, the weapon is found to be legal.

Likewise, Beqiri has declared he remains close to statements issued in front of EULEX police.

At the same time, he said his visa was originally issued by the Italian embassy, and he had in no way influenced or benefited.

After declaring all the accused, the head of the court said that since the court has sought through international legal assistance from the Court of Rome, the answer is whether the court's act of Roman First Court, with which the accused Florijan Petani has been acquitted of the prosecution has taken a firm form and still has no answers, today's hearing is interrupted, as well as the previous hearing for May 11, 2022 is cancelled.

The same said that the next session would be established after the answer is received from the Roman court.

Otherwise, the case was judged by the mission EULEX, but after the mandate ended, the subject had been transferred to the locals.

This subject was then appointed to Judge Naim Krasniqi-Jashnica, who had not scheduled a session in 2018, with the reason why this case was not a priority for the court. After the matter had been transferred to local judges in January 2018, the first session attempt had been made after a year, in January 2019 respectively, but this session had failed in the absence of four indictees.

At the initial session held on August 30th 2016, Uke Rugova and others had pleaded innocent to the charges they are charged with. Innocent ones were also declared at the January 11, 2017, session.

The Special Prosecutor's Act of the Republic of Kosovo (PSRK), founded on May 16, 2016, charges Uke Rugova that during May 2011 until February 2014, she managed a criminal group by supplying individuals with Schengen visas to the Italian Embassy in Pristina. All these visas are supposed to have been taken illegally through distortion or corruption.

The other suit of the indictment also charges Rugova with criminal possession of unauthorized weapons, where a pistol and two clips had been found at his residence.

The Act, which was compiled by prosecutor Allen Cansick, stresses that the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo has accepted from the Italian Prosecutor in Rome a copy of their visa-related file including former Italian Ambassador to Kosovo Michael Giffoni.

Along with Uke Rugova in this case are Izet Beqiri, Florjan Petani, Qefser Baholli, Astrit Haraqija, Fitim Beqiri, Azad Beqiriaj, Liridona Beqiri, Cameron Avdyli, Ragip Gashi, Visar Beqiri, Azem Koskovku, Edisonaj, Beg Shaqiri, Zaqiri, Lumro Voca, Valon Selimi, Fadil Ahmeti and Haxhi Islami.

The prosecution claims that this group, as it calls it criminal, was aimed at providing material benefits in order for citizens to be equipped with Schengen visas from the Italian Embassy in Pristina.

This case has already been divided into two parts, as Judge Naim Krasniqi-Jasnica had said, such a thing has been done in order for the trial to be more efficient. Uke Rugova, Astrit Haraqi, as well as Floran Petani, Qefser Baholli and Izet Beqiri are being tried separately by the other 15 indictees.