Director Board rejected his integrity, Governor Fehmi Mehmeti reacts

Mehmet's clarification:

By March 28th 2022, the BQK Board has been announced that due to poor health, Governor competencies have been delegated to the deputy governor, where exemptions are taking part in the meetings of the BEC Board and Executive Board, participation in the panel for interviewing candidates for deputy governor and any issues that necessarily require the governor's presence.

“During the time I was on medical leave, a provider who has resulted in a lack of capital, has met this lack of capital injection and the Governor's task fraud has released the communique regarding the compliance of the insurance sector with BEC legal requirements. As you can see, this communiqué has not been issued by the Executive Board since at this time, because of my lack of employment, there has been no meeting of the Executive Board, for which it can easily be identified. Insurance sector activity, and not only, is dynamic and can be changed from quarter to quarter, due to the happening of one or more high-value eventual damage that can charge insurers' expenses”, Governor Mehmeti has said.

However, this topic has been discussed at the BEC Board meetings, during the months of April, May and June 2022, for which members of the BEC Board have been informed in detail and this issue has been closed, as a discussion.

 “Taking into account the continuing capital shortages of this sector and administrative and supervisory measures undertaken by the CEC, during the period I exercised the Governor's post, the insurance sector has injected over 20m euros in capital. So, if there's anything I'm proud of, it's the solution to the insurance sector problem and taking measures to improve and reconcile this sector with legal requirements, considering that since its establishment and operation, no one has been dealing with this sector and resolving their compliance with legal requirements”.

As part of the commitment to preserving financial sector liquidity in the country, licenses, both voluntary and mandatory, of the various financial institutions, of which the most important revocations were two (2) insurers, Insig and New Kosovo; as well as two revocations/registerations for the IMF/ IFJB, UteCredit and Monego respectively.

Also, the CEC has managed to win the case initiated by luteCredi, who had indicted Kosovo in the International Referee. As the public has reported, the International Court of Arbitrazhi has dismissed every claim of luteCred in terms of the legality of the BEC Executive Board's decision, which has proved that the CEC's decisions have been right and by law in effect.

“As for maintaining financial stability, it is noteworthy that under my leadership as Governor, the CEC has managed to secure a stable, stable, well capitalised and liquid financial system.. A similar attitude regarding the financial system in the country can also be identified in reports of international financial institutions, such as: The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Commission Report, the European Central Bank, the US State Department and many other 48x0> institutions.

As for the candidate selection process for Governor, the interviewing panel has ranked fourth, two persons with equal score.

“Key to Press Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (bqk-kos.org), while for the fourth position instead of using the same alphabetical order principle where I would be ranked first in the fourth position and the other candidate as second in the fourth position, it is arbitraryly decided that the first in the fourth position to deploy the other candidate and that I will not proceed to the Parliament. Given the fact that we had equal points for position 4, then it would take both candidates with equal points to be sent to the Assembly. This action is contrary to Law No.05. L-020 for Gender Equality, under which gender discrimination is prohibited and should ensure gender equality where full and equal human rights of men and women would be allowed. Also, this practice of exclusion is contrary to Article 21, 24 and 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo”.

The candidate listed as fourth from the interview panel has not even had to be invited into the interview because of the legal restrictions prior to the BQC Law. Article 40 paragraph 2 subparagraph 3 of the BQK Law stipulates that: “2. No person will qualify to be selected to serve in the Central Bank's decision-making bodies if he/her: 2.3. For reasons of poor personal behavior, has been disqualified or suspended by a competent authority for professional exercise or has not been allowed to be a director or official of a financial institution.”.

I appreciate that the invitation to interview and send to Kosovo's country for candidate number 4 represents legal violations, where the interview panel has acted contrary to Article 40 paragraph 2 subparagraph 3 of the Law for BQ, which the provision excludes from the race persons who for reasons of improper personal conduct, have been disqualified or sponsored by a competent authority for the profession exercise or were not allowed to be directors or financial institution officials, let me exercise the Governor's function.

The panel's actions in relation to the selection process are biased and open conflict of interest, because one of the candidates is close on social grounds with one of the members of the panel.

At the same time, the selective panel being aware of the BQK Law provisions, concerning the functions of governing bodies and lunar or vacuum shortages in these organs, respectively, the competencies of Governor and Executive Board, Article 46 of the Law for BQ has determined that: “in case of extraordinary circumstances, and whether all members of the Executive Board are absent or unable to act, the Governor's position will be taken temporarily by the chairman of the Central Bank's Board. Two (2) Non-executive members of the Central Bank Board that are longest in such office, as well as available, will temporarily assume the posts of Vice Governor”.

Consequently, with their actions and inactions, the open panel is trying to exploit the official position and legal competencies to create space for itself to acquire the governor's executive competencies, the BQC Executive Board respectively. In this way, there is doubt based that the panel is in open conflict of interest and in violation of provisions of the law for preventing interest by acting in behalf of members of the panel (who are also members of the CEC Board).

Institutions have also been announced by the chairman of the selection panel, Mr. Flamur Major about suspicions that with the actions of the panel, one of the basic principles of the Constitution “Barazia before the Law” that is one of the preconditions for functioning of the order and law in each country.

The two members from the panel during the governor's selection process have made violations as follows: Article 23 and 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo's Constitution; Article 38 paragraph 2 of Law No. 03L-209 for the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo; Article 6 of Law No. 06/L-011 for the Prevention of Conflict of Interest in the exercise of public office.

Also, in addition to the above-mentioned violations, there is doubt that members of the Governor's Electoral panel have also made violations of Article 219 Cencing employment and unemployment rights of Code No. 06/L-074 Penal of the Republic of Kosovo.

This article stipulates that “anyone who denies or limits the right to employment under the same conditions, as prescribed by law, is sentenced to fine or imprisonment to two (2) years”.

Since one of the members of the panel slandered me by violating my integrity, what is the integrity of this member with all these higher offenses?

I as governor of the Central Bank have carried out with high integrity and responsible work during my term. My high integrity also testifies to the international ambition, which gave the BQ's decision, led by me. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo also gave the right to the BEC's (Last Monego) decision by conspiring fair to the Supreme Court Act, which is in favour of the CEC.