High-Level KEK Corruption Probe 'Vanishes'

Opinion: Has Serbia Made up Its Mind at Last? March 16 - 29, 2012 Issue No. 84 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 NEWS Macedonia Serbia “Playing Steps Back Kosovo Card for Electoral Reasons“ from the Brink > page 3 Fears of a recrudescence of large-scale ethnic con- NEWS flict are receding in Kurti: I am Macedonia after police Preparing for said the number of vio- Government lent ethnic-related inci- > page 4 dents had dropped in the NEWS last 48 hours. Spectre of Border See Page 10 Changes Still Haunts Balkans High-level KEK Corruption > page 6 FEATURE Albania’s Probe ‘Vanishes’ Nationalists Corner Evidence of high-level corruption at Kosovo’s energy firm appears to have been ignored while its alleged perpetrators Market in Graffiti still hold posts as state employees, an investigation by Prishtina Insight can reveal. European Anti-Fraud Office, the spokesperson is unable to confirm for electricity transmission. By By Petrit Collaku United Nations Internal Oversight whether the recommendations that point Ismajli had transferred Service Office in Vienna and the were followed or whether the file from KEK and become managing he EU’s Anti-Fraud Office, Italian Guardia Di Finanza, rec- was handed to prosecutors. The director of KOSTT. > page 12-13 OLAF, discovered in 2008 ommended in a letter sent to the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, Under the management of Tthat contracts between INSIDE PRISHTINA Kosovo’s public energy provide, UNMIK chief, Joachim Ruecker, in which inherited all UNMIK cases Vegim Gashi, a former AKR candi- KEK, and a firm connected with 2008 that further investigations at the end 2008, says it has received date for the post of Prishtina Prishtina Museum one of its senior officials, Fadil should be conducted and that the no information from UNMIK on Mayor in 2009, Komtel has since Ismajli, were awarded without records should be forwarded to this matter, while KEK knows been awarded a number of public under Investigation “fair competition” and in suspi- KEK so that disciplinary measures nothing of the investigation. tenders, including for KEK, > page 18 cious circumstances. would be initiated against Ismajli. A well placed KEK source, mean- Prishtina International Airport The investigators also accused “In view of the evidence while, has suggested that the case and the Constitutional Court. Ismajli of direct conflicts of inter- obtained it has been determined was “silenced” in the organisation, Despite investigators’ sugges- est. He was co-owner and general that there has been no fair compe- without elaborating further. tions that disciplinary measures director of Komtel until 1999 tition in the procurement process- A few months after the report be taken against Ismajli, he has before joining KEK, where he is es involving Komtel and KEK,” the was sent to the UNMIK special rep- remained head of KOSTT, which Kosovo’s only English-language alleged to have been involved in report reads. The evidence “direct- resentative, the suspected compa- pays him a salary of 42,000 euro newspaper is available: awarding a number of tenders to ly implicates” Ismajli, it adds. ny, Komtel, was awarded a con- annually. his former firm. However, the case appears to tract for 8 million euro by KOSTT, Delivered to A team of investigators from the have gone cold. UNMIK’s the public authority responsible continues page 2 Your Door Kosovo Fritters Away Shrinking Former Minister Queries Kosovo From Newsstands Science Budget Power Station Plan across Kosovo “As education minister it is a distinct hon- Five days after the winning bid is Sent To our to testify before you on the commit- announced to build Kosovo’s new lignite- Your Inbox ment of the government of Kosovo to sci- fired power plant, Kosova e Re, its current ence and research.” So said Enver Hoxhaj station, Kosovo B, will be handed over to in 2010 while launching Kosovo’s National the private investor. From Research Programme, a five-year-plan For the next six years all profits will be col- our partners aimed at spearheading scientific progress lected by the winner as compensation for in the country... its capital investment... news page 5 economy page 7 see page 16 for more info is supported by: 2 March 16 - 29, 2012 news High-level Corruption Probe at KEK “Vanishes” from page 1 ted to the [UNMIK] prosecutor’s According to the offer provided, office, which would have had to Datamat and Komtel had estab- According to his Asset decide to pursue criminal charges lished a joint venture called Disclosure submitted to the Anti- and, if so, it would have handed the Datkom. But Datkom was not men- Corruption Agency, he has also cases to EULEX prosecutors at the tioned in the “Technical and accrued considerable wealth end of 2008. Financial Evaluation” conducted through his business and public “If not, the prosecutor would by KEK in February 2001. The bid duties, including more than 100,000 have closed the case due to lack of submission report listed no entry euro kept in deposits in Kosovo substantive evidence,” spokesper- for Datamat, only for Komtel. banks, four flats and two cars. son Salgado said. The winning bidder was Ismajli has denied any wrongdo- Similarly, KEK, said it had no announced as Datamat, an Italian ing, saying that the allegations record of the case. Spokesman company with a bank insurance were aimed solely at damaging his Viktor Buzhala said the company bond issued by San Paolo IMI S.p.A reputation. was not aware of any report on Bank in Rome. There is no sugges- investigations into tenders award- tion of wrongdoing on behalf of Disappearing ed to Komtel. Datamat. Investigation: He said KEK neither received “The members of the panel for nor inherited from former manage- the a/m tender involved in that ment any requests submitted by evaluation process obviously did According to the investigators’ OLAF or any other local or interna- not know which company in the letter, obtained by Prishtina tional institution pertaining to end is the candidate of the said pro- Insight, their report was submitted Fadil Ismajli’s Wealth Komtel. cedure,” according to the report. on June 6, 2008 to two former heads “If KEK had received any “The evaluation board evaluated ith 100,000 euro cash a Nissan SUV and a Mercedes, of the UN Mission in Kosovo, its request related to tender irregular- a wrong company and awarded the deposited in Kosovo valued at 30,000 euro in total, and chief, Joachim Ruecker, and his ities, it would have immediately contract to the non-existing compa- Wbanks, two cars - a Jeep gold and silver jewelry worth deputy, Larry Rossin. undertaken measures to place the ny, 'Datacom'. At least the contract and Mercedes - four flats and a 6,500 euro. Investigations looked at a tender said company on the black list, was signed between EAR and plot of land in Croatia, Ismajli is Ismajli also owns shares in two for the supply of software and hard- deeming it unable to compete for Datamat S.p.A. for and on behalf of wealthy by the standards of firms - 20 per cent of shares in ware for KEK computers in 2001 val- tenders or partake in other process- the contractor Datkom.” Kosovo. Archlighting and 2.7 per cent of ued at 2.8 million euro. Investigators es,” Buzhala said. In his Asset Disclosure form shares in IGI Prishtine. also revealed that in 2001 and 2003 However, a source familiar with Komtel ex-director voted submitted to the Anti- The KOSTT Chief Executive Komtel was awarded other con- KEK’s bidding processes said there Corruption Agency, ACA, in Officer stated that he has 100,500 tracts to develop and implement the on Komtel contract: was pressure not to pursue the 2011, Ismajli declared he owns euro deposited in ProCredit “Central Accounting System” and charges against Ismajli. 1,470 square meters of land val- Bank, Banka Ekonomike, the “Customer Care Package”, val- According to investigators, “Komtel is connected with pow- ued at 125,000 euro. He also owns Raiffeisen Bank and NLB. ued at 450,000 euro, for KEK. Ismaijli was on the board that eval- erful individuals in Kosovo, so two 68 square metre and two 28 His annual income is around In 2006, the company was award- uated the tender, having signed an there was great pressure to silence square metre apartments in 70,000 euro, including 42,000 euro ed the contract to supply municipal- impartiality and confidentiality this case, regardless of the strong Prishtina, with a total value of from KOSTT, and dividends from ities with IT equipment for 149,150 agreement in which he stated that facts found and documented by 200,000 euro. Archlighting and rent from a euro and border police with equip- he held no connection to “the bid- OLAF,” a senior KEK official said. He also declared ownership of leased apartment. ment for 1.2million euro, all of ders, individuals implicated there- in or their sub-contractors”. which were funded by the European For KEK, it was awarded a con- Nonexistent company When investigators interviewed “Unfounded accusations”: Agency for Reconstruction. tract for “Supply of multifunction- Ismajli in October 2007 he con- UNMIK’s spokesman, Olivier won tender: al metering groups”, valued at firmed his past experience with Ismajli denies the allegations Salgado, was unable to explain to 231,000 euro in June 2011. Komtel, stating he was a business against him, maintaining that they Prishtina Insight what had hap- The investigators’ report raises The company also won a tender partner of the company, and that he are aimed at discrediting him. pened to the case.

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