Daut Haradinaj in court: Kurt is a cheating veteran, for others I remember

At Monday's session at the Constitutional Court in Pristina, in the case known as “Vaterians”, Daut Haradinaj, former Kosovo Assembly President, in the quality of the witness, has called Prime Minister Albin Kurti Bitan fraud.

Haradinaj, responding to special prosecutor Valdet Gashi's question, that since according to the legal definition, it is determined that each person who because of his activities as a member of The KLA has been arrested during the period HINA-99 and has been held in prison by Serbia's forces, has there been any such category of persons applying for war veterans, witness Haradinaj said that “except Prime Minister Kurti, who is a fraud veteran, for others I do not remember”.

Haradinaj has stated that in any forms that have been met by candidates for members or participants, members of the government commission have not been involved, reports “Justice Vowing”.

According to him, those responsible have been at the second and third levels of the company's commanders and team.

I personally hold the responsibility of the brigade commander. I also have statistics. Out of the entire list of applicants, 24 are exempts who have not been participants in war, while others collectively and collectively who have been Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers”, Haradinaj has said,

He said that of the fighters who attended on March 24, 1998, wounded in Decan are 1 thousand 264, and 166 martyrs killed.

That's what I said with the intention that the courts understand that local headquarters in the operating subzones in the Dukagjini region have hundreds of martyrs until the brigade is established. Now if you don't recognize veterans as we know the status of a martyr or a disabled war, these must understand the courts that exactly here is the opposite”, Haradinaj said.

On the other hand, the same one has clarified that he had not participated in the verification, but has been directly involved and that he is responsible for all levels, from the brigade commander to the last soldier on how the procedure went.

There is no form on the commission if it does not follow the signature of the entity leaders, we are talking at the local level, which is commander of the local headquarters, team commander, logistical chief, military police chief or everyone in its sector has claimed responsibility for what belongs to them. Which brings him to account for each man for writing and removing responsibility from the government commission”, Haradinaj said.

He said that since it has been a volume process, there has been possible concessions or abuses in cases of individual restrictions.

However, in this situation, we have local units dealing with specific abuse, and my stance has been that institutions do their job, where abuse took place at lower levels, but not on government commissions”, Haradinaj said.

On the other hand, he said not only Agim Ceku, but no chairman or member of the commission has been able to intervene at the level of local leaders.

Haradinaj said it is not true that he has signed any forms, but that he has been indirectly inaugurated from the first day until the process is complete.

He said the brigade commander has fully organised the functioning of facilities for application by applicants, and that everything in this direction is his personal responsibility as the command of the area, the 131 Brigade, or more precisely the Decani region.

In addition, Haradinaj said that in the ranks of the KLA there were also dozens of minors who served in logistics, in maintaining objects or in the kitchen. He said one of them was himself.

I am personally one of the veterans I was under 18 years of age active in war”, he said.

The hearing of other witnesses continues at the afternoon session.

Daut Haradinaj is expected to begin testimony in the case of “Veterians”

Pristina- At Monday's session at the Constitutional Court in Pristina, in the case known as “Veterians”, Daut Haradinaj, former Kosovo Assembly President from the ranks of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), is expected to begin testifying.

In this case, former Prime Minister Agim Ceku, former Defence Minister Rrustem Berisha, former Demalijaj DeDemalijaj delegation, Nuredin Lushtaku, Sadik Halitjaha, Qele Gashi, Shukri Buja, Ahmet Daku, Faik Fazliu, Smajl Elezaj, Fadil Shudaj and Xhavt Yashari, reports <x0Betim for Justice<1>

At the last session in this case, on December 21, 2023, former commander of the Drenica Operative Zone Sami Lushtaku witnessed.

Otherwise, the December 16th 2022 session had failed in the absence of indictees Fazliu and Elezaj, while the March 15th 2023 session had been cancelled at the request of prosecutor Valdet Gashi.

The June 15th 2023 session had failed because accused Sadik Halitijaha, Qele Gashi, Shukri Buja, Ahmet Dacu, Xhavit Jashari, had not hired lawyers. And the September 18th 2023 session was cancelled because prosecutor Valdet Gashi was on an official trip. However, that of September 28, 2023 failed in the absence of accused Shukri Buja.

The Constitutional Court in Pristina, on 16 April 2021, the accused had been acquitted of the prosecution. But the Court of Appeals on April 26, 2022 has turned the case into retrial.

According to the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo (PSRK), the accused by misusing their official duty, as part of the KLA War Partier Commission for Recognition and Verification of the Status of the Nation's Witness, Invalid, Vetran, Partitor and Intervention, have caused damage to Kosovo's budget worth 88,769.217 euros.04 euros.

On these charges, the Constitutional Court in Pristina had taken on a release act even on January 19, 2021.

The act in this case was compiled three months later, where P SRK had been able to file complaints against this act within 15 days.

Otherwise, the Constitutional Court in Pristina, on June 19, 2019, had confirmed the indictment for the case, while the Court of Appeals had confirmed the verdict in August 2019.

With the SPRK indictment, it was also required that the Constitutional Court in Pristina order the Ministry of Labour and Social Management (MPMS) to suspend payment of pensions for 19 thousand and 500 veterans, until the completion of the judicial process.

But, on April 1, 2019, the court had rejected this request, arguing that the proposal for provisional measures is not against the accused, but against the MPMS as the third party.

And after the hearings held, the Constitutional Court in Pristina, on January 19, 2021, has declared a free trial against the accused in this case.

According to the indictment prepared by former special prosecutor Elez Blakaj, the involved persons reportedly from 2011 to 2017, acting as members of the Government Commission for recognition and Verification of the Status of the Nation's Witness, Invaledit, Veteranit, Partitor and Intervention of the Kosovo Liberation Army's War, have used the duty and official authority, passing over competencies and failing to fulfill official duties in order to benefit other persons illegally, in order to continue, at the damage to the budget of the Republic of Kosovo.

In this indictment, 12 persons are involved who are tasked with criminal work “The use of official position or authority”.

As had been reported by “Justice Trust”, the list of accused persons leads Agim Ceku, followed by Nuredin Lushtacu, Sadik Halitijaha, Shumbin Demaliaj, Qele Gashi, Shukri Buja, Ahmet Daku, Rrustem Berisha, Faik Fazliu, Smajl Elezaj, Fadil Shudaj and Jawitari.

The PSRK, too, had proposed to the court to issue the move to prevent the payment of legally acquired pensions as KLA war crimes veterans until the end of the criminal procedure.

In addition, according to the SPRK, evidence provided that illegal fees for KLA war veterans had been damaged in many of the Republic of Kosovo's 68,153,533.14 euros.

While, with the indictment handed down to the court on December 7th 2018, it is claimed that the Republic of Kosovo budget had been damaged in many of the 88.769,217.04 euros.