5 minutes agoUS sanctions stop the work of Stevic's Kosovo company
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)The fact that businessman from Kosovo's north, Radule Steviq, has not received a cent from Kosovo institutions since the end of 2021, when it was put on the American blacklist, has not prevented his company's work either in majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo or in parts [...]
Pristina, Skenderaj, Gjilani, Obilqi, Kline, Prizren, Lipjan, Fushe Kosova Vushtrria are just some of the 16 municipalities, where Stevict's company “RAD 028”, registered in the Serbian system, must renew residential objects.
In these municipalities, Albanians are majority, but Serb majority is also on the list, such as Zubin Potoku, Leposaviqi, Zvecani and Novoberda.
Thus, for example, a tender worth about one and a half million euros was announced at the end of 2022 by the Zvecan municipality in northern Kosovo, which functions under Serbia's state system.
Stevic, who himself is from Zvecan, also owns two companies registered in the Kosovo system: “RAD” D.O.O. “RAD” P.T.P.
Based on published data in Open Procuration portal, Stevic, while not under US sanctions, has won over 5m euros from the Kosovo Government budget.
Why is Stevitch under US sanctions?
In December 2021, the US has imposed sanctions on individuals and companies that it has considered responsible for corruption and serious human rights violations. Among them were Radule Stevic and his companies under the Serbian and Kosovo system.
He is tied to another businessman from northern Kosovo, Zvonko Veselinovic, whom the US sees as leader Misc Groups, linked to international organised crime.
“International organised crime and corruption often go parallel with major destabilizing effects on rule of law and democratic governance”, it has said at the time. U.S. Treasury Department.
As well as where “works RAD 028” in Kosovo?
Construction or renovation of various objects, roads, procurement of furniture, agricultural machinery, or even flowers for over 18 Kosovo municipalities are just some of the tenders won by the company “RAD 028”
It is registered in the Serbian system and receives tenders from parallel municipalities financed by the official Belgrade budget.
According to data that can be seen at the public procurement portal in Serbia in the first quarter of 2023, “RAD 028” has received over sixm euros from the Government of Serbia budget.
Otherwise, businesses in Kosovo, under a government decree of Serbia, are free of tax on added value (TVSH), which is 20 percent. This 2011 regulation refers to supply of goods and services that T payers V The US does from Serbia to Kosovo.
Based on contracts available in the public procurement portal, it is seen that “RAD 028”, in most cases, is the only bidder, so there is no competition.
Often tenders for southern Ibri areas in Kosovo are announced and given by one of the provisional municipal authorities from the north, which work in the Serbian system.
For example, on June 30th of this year, the Zvecan municipality has given the company “RAD 028” “Projection and construction of the Cultural and Education Centre in Post Augusterica, for the needs of public administrative companies and cultural institutions -- Lipjani's Komunja of”.
The value of the project is about 420 thousand euros.
Auguste City is a village belonging to the Gracanica municipality, according to the Kosovo system, located about 10km from Pristina.
Also, in September 2022, Zvecan's interim municipal body has awarded Stevick's company the tender for “the construction of the works and the construction of the plant for the production of alcoholic beverages and grape-seed oil at the Great Hoça (Hac) Assembly of Rahoveci”.
Over one and a half million euros have been earmarked for this factory from Serbia's budget.
Based on the contract analysis by the public procurement portal in Serbia, Radio Free Europe has come to information that Stevic's company received about 10m euros in 2022.
This year, there has been also the purchase of seedlings for 18 municipalities in Kosovo territory, for which “RAD 028” received about 200 thousand euros.
The contract does not specify exactly what municipality it is about.
On the other hand, in northern Kosovo municipalities, “RAD 028” implements even more valuable projects.
Within two days, from parallel municipalities in northern Mitrovica, financed by Serbia's budget, has received two major tenders worth about fivem euros.
One concerns performing jobs in building the Serbian system's university, while the other concerns rebuilding or building facilities within Kosovo's “Mitrovica Health Centre”.
Steviq “does not have times”
Radio Free Europe has contacted Stevijqi and has tried to get more details from him about tenders, the implementation of projects and the functioning of its companies, but he has refused to speak, with the reason that there is no time.
Earlier, Stevic has told local media, which report in the Serbian language to Kosovo, that he is doing business legally and that he does not know why the US has imposed sanctions against him. He, too, said he hasn't seen Zvonko Wesselwinovic for 20 years.
REL has also addressed the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government with the question of how almost all major projects in Kosovo are given to a company that the US links with corrupt activities, but has not received answers. This office has not even answered the question of whether all projects in the majority Serb areas in Kosovo have been realised, for which Stevic has received money.
Besides the fact that company owner “RAD 028”, Radule Steviq, is under US sanctions, has also been found to be building without permission from Kosovo institutions.
On June 20th, the North Mitrovica municipality has blocked building at least three facilities, which it has said have no permission.
One of them is the very university building whose work is performed by Stevicz's company.
On the basis of the information table before this object, the construction permit for it was issued in 2020 by only one provisional authority working in the Serbian system.
The REL has failed to determine whether the other projects mentioned in this text have received permission from Kosovo's responsible institutions.
However, according to previous practice, it is known that Serbian-funded construction permits are granted only by Serbian organs in Kosovo.
One such example is home to returns “Suncana toast” in Zvecan, to which legal procedure has been initiated due to lack of permits. However, it has been suspended in mid-July 2021, due to “subject extension”.
Although Serbian authorities have repeatedly warned that Serb returnees will be settled in this settlement, this has not yet happened.
What do Kosovo institutions say?
Radio Free Europe has been addressed to the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the Government of Kosovo, which is responsible for registering companies and giving public tenders, with the question of whether Steviq's company, registered in the Serbian system, regularly and without major problems, implements projects based on tenders from Serbia.
REL has received no answer to either this question or the question of whether any steps have been taken against companies registered in Kosovo's system, “RAD” D.O.O and “RAD” P.T.P., which is also under US sanctions.
However, the explanation has come from the Tenger Authority, which has the right to place an entrepreneur on the so-called black list.
As it says in response to the REL, Stevick's companies are not on this black list, because there are no remarks from customers about their work.
According to public procurement data in Kosovo, by the time sanctions were imposed on Stevijki at the end of 2021, its “klines” have been mainly Serb majority municipalities in the north, which work in the Kosovo system: Northern Mitrovica, Leposaviqi, Zvecani and Zubin Potoku.
“On the issue that the company in question is under US sanctions, the investigative authority of public procurement has no competence to take action regarding the blacklist, except in the cases envisioned in Article 99.2 of the Public Procure Law”, the Tendra Authority's response is said.
This provision of the Public Procuration Law in Kosovo refers to the situation when the contracting authority claims false data or forged documents were presented.
