Kosovo's Sacked Police Chief Denies Resigning

Maliqi says that isn't true.

“I never wrote anything asking for dismissal or resignation, and I never even had any warning regarding working issues,” Maliqi told Balkan Insight.

The announcement of Maliqi's dismissal was posted on a government web page on Monday evening, shortly after special units of the Kosovo police launched an unprecedented operation to take over two northern border points, Gates 1 and 31 near Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

According to the announcement, the decision to sack Maliqi was made based on article 94(a) of the Kosovo Constitution, which says that the police director general can be dismissed based on “his/her own request.”

In a live statement on Kosovo radio and television on Monday, Maliqi said his dismissal was totally unexpected. He reiterated that to Balkan Insight.

“The decision came as a surprise to me,” Maliqi said. “My daughter called and told me she saw on the news that the prime minister had dismissed me.”

The Prime Minister's office declined to elaborate on the reasons for its action. Chief of Staff Bekim Collaku told Balkan Isnight that it is within the constitutional competencies of the Prime Minister to appoint and dismiss the general director of the police.

“His naming and dismissal remain within the full discretion of the Prime Minister,” Collaku said.

Maliqi had been planning to leave for a holiday on Friday, three days before he was dismissed. So was Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi. But then their plans changed.

“The minister called me during the previous week to inform me that he was moving his holidays due to a big operation," Maliqi said. "I told him that I would stay as well. I don't know if he informed the Prime Minister, and I had no idea what the operation was about."

Maliqi believes his firing was unrelated to the confrontation at the border on Monday.

“Prior to that event I had made 23 changes in the hierarchy of the police, based on grades and positions," he said. "There were people who were not happy with that.”

One of the changes involved the head of the division for organized crime, a position that was held by a police officer formerly associated with the Kosovo Secret Service, SHIK. That agency had strong ties to PDK, the party led by the Prime Minister.

The operation itself was led by Maliqi’s former deputy, who according to police sources also has strong ties to PDK.

“My former deputy called me around 7pm on the day of the operation, and told me that he had been ordered by the Minister of the Interior to gather special forces in Mitrovica," Maliqi said. "They did not tell me why, nor that they were going to gate points 1 and 31. Maybe the Prime Minister’s office didn’t inform us because this was a very sensitive operation.”

The opposition parties have criticized the government for poor planning of the operation. A Kosovo police officer was shot in the head, and later died in a Pristina hospital.

Maliqi said that normally, there would have been a detailed plan with everything thought out in advance.

“The policemen were faced with barricades and shootings in the road," he noted. "Only a few of them had any knowledge of the terrain. Most of them were there for the first time. The KFOR commander told me that the operation was not planned well.”

The Kosovo government acted to enforce its ban on the transport of Serbian goods through northern border points. That area is inhabited by a Serbian majority who continue to oppose the independence of Kosovo.

On Wednesday, Serbian protesters set Gate 1 on fire.