Prishtina Insight
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Opinion: A Fracking Wild Party July 6 - 19, 2012 Issue No. 92 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 Pop Star Urges NEWS Albanians to Prime Minister Have More Kids Travels with Businessman’s Car Rovena Stefa, better known > page 3 for her folk-themed pop songs, is calling for NEWS Albanians to reverse the Balkan Countries falling birth rate. Wilt in Fierce Heat But while the average family in Kosovo may be Wave shrinking, some homes are > page 4 bucking the trend. Bahrije NEWS Mustafa, 35, lives in Ex-PM’s Jailing difficult circumstances, but it hasn’t stopped her from Watershed For having 13 children... Romanian Justice See Page 5 Tribunal Vindicates > page 10 FEATURE Prospects Darken UNMIK Whistleblower For Roma Refugees UN mission in Kosovo subjected ex-official who raised suspicions about corruption in plans for a new power plant to > page 12 and 13 ‘humiliating and degrading’ treatment, a tribunal has ruled. INSIDE PRISHTINA of interest”. ered serious failings in that deci- of millions of euros to a local part- By Lawrence Marzouk Despite his diplomatic immuni- sion, and has called into question ner, should that bidder win the ten- Prishtina’s Glass ty, he was arrested on the border why more wasn’t done to query der,” Wasserstrom wrote in his Box he UN Dispute Tribunal with Greece in May 2007, his house evidence provided by senior UN submission to the tribunal. ruled last week that James searched and a poster put up at the officials. “Part of that payoff was TWasserstrom’s treatment entrance of the UNMIK building rumoured to be going to Minister had been “wholly unacceptable” saying he was banned from the Suspicions of kickbacks: Ceku and to Mr Schook, among and the UN mission had breached premises. others,” he added. his legal rights during an investi- He claimed this was an act of In 2007, Wasserstrom, who had Wassertrom, who was responsi- gation. retaliation, a view backed initially an impeccable record of service, ble for overseeing Publicly Owned The American, who now works > page 19 as a corruption expert at the US by the UN Ethics Office, which had heard reports, according to a Enterprises, including Kosovo’s embassy in Kabul, had voiced sus- called for the UN’s Investigations copy of the UN judgement pub- Energy Corporation, KEK, passed picions about huge kickbacks in Division to probe further. lished on Monday, that the then the information to the UN’s Office the planned construction of a new But the Ethics Office then minister of energy, Ethem Ceku, of Internal Oversight Services, power plant in Kosovo, Kosovo C. reversed its initial findings based and UNMIK’s deputy head, Steven OIOS, along with concerns that the Following his complaint, his on the conclusions of Schook, were due to receive bribes creation of a new KEK board, Kosovo’s only English-language newspaper is available: contract was not extended, his Investigations Divisions. as part of the power plant deal. including Ceku and other members Following Wasserstrom’s com- “The rumours concerned the of the government, was illegal. office was closed and an investiga- Delivered to tion was launched into “conflicts plaint of ill treatment, the UN payment of what was called a Dispute Tribunal has now uncov- ‘facilitation fee’, worth hundreds continues page 2 Your Door The Nineties Team Returns to Kosovo Metal Workers Protest From Newsstands Serbia Against Sackings across Kosovo After 50 days of closed-doors negotia- Ferronikel, based in the central Kosovo Sent To tions between all key players, the party region of Drenas, says it needed to make Your Inbox once led by Slobodan Milosevic has formed cuts in order to survive a fall in the price of a new government with the Serbian nickel on world markets. Progressive Party as its main partner, But Kosovo’s nationalist Vetevendosje From while the former governing Democrats (Self-determination) movement has our partners head into opposition. accused the major exporter of showing analysis President Tomislav... page 6 - 7 business compete indifference... page 8 see page 16 for more info is supported by: 2 July 6 - 19, 2012 news Tribunal Vindicates UN Whistleblower in Kosovo from page 1 done was wrong,” he said. “I hope he gets a lot of compensation.” According to his testimony, his He said he was unaware of any attempts to stop politicians from allegations made by Wassertrom being appointed to the boards of against him, adding that investiga- publicly owned enterprises tions against him had found no brought him into regular conflict evidence of wrongdoing. Ceku, with Schook. meanwhile, said the issue had “On approximately 1 February, been investigated earlier and he 2007, I was called to see Mr had been cleared. Schook,” Wasserstrom recalled. “He was angry. He said, ‘I hear ‘Wanted’ posters put up: from Pillar IV [Reconstruction and Economic Development] and peo- Wasserstrom received a letter on ple I trust you’ve been bad- May 7, 2007, telling him that his mouthing me.’ I denied doing so. contract would not be extended. He said, ‘I don’t know what you do His office was closed on June 30. all day. Tell me, what do you do all “When I learned of my non- day?’ extension, I agreed to work with UN Head Ban Ki-Moon has been criticised by Wasserstrom for ignoring his calls for help. “When I started to reply, he cut the Managing Directors of PTK me off. He then said, “I think your [Post and Telecommunications of tograph were then placed at the staff,” it wrote. such callous disregard of the office should be closed.’ I replied Kosovo] and Pristina entrances of UNMIK headquar- “Accordingly, faced with the Applicant’s right to due process”. that I had been unhappy with his International Airport, to work ters to prevent his entry and his clear finding of detrimental lack of support on the issues that I with them directly in corporate office was sealed off with police treatment being meted out to the Life in danger: believe are crucial to the future of governance, development and tape. Applicant and having regard to Kosovo. He concluded that conver- accountability,” he wrote, refer- its finding of prima facie retalia- “It was a terrible time for me, sation with, ‘Sorry your issues are ring to two publicly owned compa- Rights disregarded: tion, the Ethics Office should my family and anyone associated not front burner for me.’” nies. have pursued further enquiries to with me,” Wasserstrom told According to a cable issued by “We signed a contract on 24 May Wasserstrom complained of his ascertain the reasons for such Reuters on Tuesday. the then US Ambassador to 2007, which I disclosed formally to treatment to the Ethics Office, treatment. Without having done “I thought my life was in danger, Kosovo, Tina Kaidanow in May UNMIK on 30 May 2007.” which initially concluded that so, their finding that the treat- and I knew that if I disappeared, 2007, Wasserstrom had also raised Following the announcement, there was evidence that his ordeal ment was not retaliatory is funda- no one in the UN would ever come his concerns with his US embassy. he wrote, the Special was the result of retaliation mentally flawed.” to look for me.” The cable, leaked to the website Representative of the Secretary- because of his compliant. The judgment also points out He told the news agency that he Wikileaks, confirms that the General, SRSG, Joachim Rucker, “The Ethics Office finds that the that while the investigative felt vindicated by the judgment. ambassador shared some of his head of UNMIK, was apparently actions taken by UNMIK against report made “a critical comment The issue of compensation is still concerns and noted “clear divi- “furious” and initiated an investi- [the Applicant] were dispropor- about the way in which the to be decided at a hearing in sions” in UNMIK on the issue. gation against him for “miscon- tionate to the alleged wrongdoing Applicant was treated” it never- October. “Ceku's presence on the board duct”. and are linked to his cooperation theless concluded that the treat- Wasserstrom criticised the UN [of KEK] presents conflict of inter- He was put on “special leave” with OIOS [Office of Internal ment was not a result of retalia- Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, est issues regarding his ministry’s while the investigation was ongo- Oversight Services],” the Ethics tion. for having failed to respond to his involvement in the large ‘Kosovo ing, his email account was Office had concluded. “This begs the question as to complaints. C’ energy sector development ten- stopped, and his computer and car “Thus, the protected activity how or for what reason could a “I sent him (Ban) emails along der and the internationally-recog- seized. [whistle-blowing] was a contribut- staff member with an otherwise the way asking him to intervene nized public policy practice of not Wasserstrom was then stopped ing factor to the retaliatory impeccable record of service directly, to stop his representative allowing a ministry to administer at the Kosovo border when driving actions.” with the organisation have been in Kosovo from violating rules, a public utility,” the cable said. to Greece in May 2007, and told The issue was passed to the UN’s subjected to wholly unacceptable regulations, policies and proce- “Ceku is also actively involved that he could not leave the country. investigation office, which ruled treatment in breach of his right dures, and my legal rights. He in politics as a high-ranking mem- “The Financial Investigation that the decision to close to due process,” it writes. chose to ignore me," he told ber of the Alliance for the Future Unit took me back to Prishtina on Wasserstrom’s office was made The judgment goes on to ques- Reuters.