EU Mission Launches Fresh Raids in Kosovo

The EU mission on Tuesday said it was carrying out probes at four firms in Pristina, Prizren and Peja related to “a suspicious tender involving the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications”.

Last April, EULEX carried out a series of raids on the Ministry of Transport and on properties connected to the minister, Fatmir Limaj.

At the time, the EULEX chief prosecutor, Johan van Vreeswijk, said officials at the ministry faced charges of money laundering, organised crime, fraud and soliciting bribes.

The probe relates to road tenders issued between 2007 and 2009. It is not known whether Tuesday’s raids are connected to this earlier investigation.

A Balkan Insight investigation in March revealed that a number of lucrative building contracts appeared to have gone to friends and relatives of minister Limaj.

To date, no charges have been brought against Limaj and he denies all wrongdoing.

In another investigation related to suspicious tenders, EULEX said it was conducting searches on Tuesday against two firms in Gjilan.