O Mayor The EPS employed uncle as a personal driver, up to three years in prison could be punished according to the penal code

When Vjosa Gradinaj-Mejuni was elected head of the Procuratory Organisation in July last year, she had the need to have another personal driver, as the official car was waiting in the parking lot.

She hadn't really bothered to find the driver and stopped right inside her own family. Just a month after taking office, she appointed her uncle, her mother's brother, Ali Zeqiri, as a driver.

“Ali Zeqiri with a number of xxxxxxxx, is named as the driver of OSHP chairman, starting on August 1, 2022. The driver's gross monthly payment is 362.50 (Coeffient 6). In accordance with the legal provisions in force of the Republic of Kosovo, the OSHP chairman's driver will have the status of cabinet official”, other honours are said in the act.

And since drivers have small salary cofficiency (6), Democracy. com has learned that on the same day of appointment, O chairman The EPS had issued a decision on additional compensation worth 100 euros to its uncle, driver Ali Zeqiri. The decision to compensate my uncle for 100 euros was signed by Gradinaj-Mejuani himself.

For additional payment worth of 100 euros, cabinet official Ali Zeqiri Shofer of the O chairman The EP” says among other things in the decision of the 01.08.2022 signed by Vjosa Gradinaj-Mejuani, whom Democracy has seen.com.

The Zeqiri had received a one-year contract, and he stood as chairman of O. The EE until a few months ago.

Democracy. com through e-mail asked O'S chairman The EP has not returned until the publication of this article.

Penal Code sanctions this situation.

The uncle's application in this case as a personal driver and the grant of additional benefits is sanctioned with the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.

Article 417 speaks of interest conflict

“The official person who personally participates in any official matter he has known or had to know that he or she, a member of his or her family, or any legal person dealing with, is financially concerned, fined and sentenced to prison for up to three (3) years. For this article's purposes, the expression “takes part in” implies exercising official authority through decision, approval, recommendation, counseling, oversight, management, liquidation, payment or in any other way exercise of unjust influence on an official matter”, says at the point 1 and 3 of this article, Democracy.com.

Gradinaj-Mejuni favoured by Prime Minister Kurti and his adviser Luan Dalipi

After much procrastination, Kosovo's Assembly in late June 2022 has elected the chairman and four members to the Procuratory Organisation Board (OSHP), which is otherwise known as the Tender Court. 61 majority deputies had voted in favour, until opposition parties had released the hall earlier, following the fall of the Trust Bill. In view of the selection performance, it was seen that candidates have been chosen contrary to the principles of competition.

The board's chairman was elected Vjosa Gradinaj-Mejuni, while members Nita Bata, Kimete Gashi, Vedat Peterqoj and Agon Ramadani.

Similarly, Prime Minister Albin Kurti had said they have exercised the discretion of selecting OSHP's board candidates, as the commission has been dissatisfied with candidates that have applied.

The point is that the commission was dissatisfied with candidates who have applied, whether in terms of their professional experience and professionalism in preparing candidacy. In that sense, the commission had recommended that the government exercise the discretion in selecting candidates according to the right it is entitled to. This has been accepted and we have exercised our guaranteed competence by law and voted candidate list”, Kurti said.

Among the names the Government has sent for the vote, two of the voters have scored at least one at the most. This was based on the initiative to assess CVs that had made a government-elected commission for selection and positioning of candidates who had been competing.

Out of a total of 22 candidates -- voted by the Parliament, Kimete Gashi -- has scored at least 3.2, while the previous one has been OSHP's new head, Vjosa Gradinaj-Mejuani, with 3.6 points. Meanwhile, the other voted member, Vedat Peterqoi, has been the first on the list, with a total of 8.8 points.

Two voted names have not been part of the OSHP board and chairmanship competition. It's Nita Bata and Agon Ramadani.

Batita has already resigned, while Kimete Berisha has been dismissed from office by the Kosovo government. The case is at the Kosovo Constitutional Court.

What's the Procuring Bureau?

If a company claims to have been wronged in a tender, it may complain to the Procuring Organization. The OSHP is the last institution responsible for considering the tenders.

This institution could cancel a tender and issue punitive measures for those who have violated tender procedures.

So, OSHP has been authorized to examine the conduct of the corresponding procurement activity and complaint claims filed in complaints, as well as the legal deadlines to issue a written decision on the way to place that hurt, whose object is to review, complaint and procurement activity for which complaints have been filed.

Decisions made by O The EPS are decisions on the procurement review, on punitive measures, on rejected complaints (recognitioned), decisions on the Black List and fine decisions.