Latest Investigations from Kosovo
‘Salary’ For Mayor’s Widow Causes Confusion
The widow of the murdered Mayor of Suhareke has continued to receive his salary since his death in 2002 - while their widows of mayors receive nothing, Balkan Insight has discovered.
Black Market in Heart of Kosovo Government
Former employees of the Government’s catering service claim they worked without contracts, paid no tax and were forced to work illegally long hours.
Kosovo: From Pasture to “Power Neighbourhood”
In four years, agricultural land on the edge of Pristina, owned by an elderly Serb farmer, has been transformed into one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country, soon to be home to Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, former Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti, alongside a host of other top businessmen, politicians and public figures.
Thaci’s Brother Stands to Earn Fortune From Flats
A construction firm part-owned by the brother of Kosovo's Prime Minister is on the verge of completing a big residential development that is expected to earn a handsome profit of up to 4 million euro.
Kosovo Officials Stay Hooked on Luxury Cars
Despite a pledge to slash the use of ministerial cars and cut fuel costs, spending on luxury cars and travel continues to rocket.
Kosovo Mayor’s Funders Demand Their Payback
Businesses that funded the mayor of Prizren’s election campaign in return for the promise of tenders accuse him of reneging on his pledges, an investigation has revealed.
Kosovo Signs Second US Lobbyist for $50,000-a-Month
Hashim Thaci’s government has signed up its second Washington-based lobbyist in less than a year at a cost of 50,000 dollars a month.
Kosovo Fritters Away Shrinking Science Budget
Money set aside for scientific advances in Kosovo has fallen sharply in recent years – and much of what remains has disappeared on foreign research trips and the printing of patriotic novels, Balkan Insight has discovered.
Kosovo Steel Plant Linked to Russian Oligarch
Balkan Insight can reveal that Jeton Sadiku, new owner of Kosovo’s Llamkos steel plant, had close ties to one of Russia’s richest oligarchs, and may have been ineligible to buy the facility.
Kosovo Mayor Earns Fortune From Free Gift
Blerim Kuci, a senior Kosovo politician, has generated more than 3 million euro from an apartment block built in Suhareka public land and given to him for free in unclear circumstances.
Kosova Petrol “Occupying” Croatian Property
Lobbying by Croatian leaders and legal action have failed to prise more than 20 petrol stations away from Kosova Petrol, owned by a former advisor to PM Hashim Thaci, and back to its pre-war Croatian owners, INA.
Landmark Kosovo Hotel Sits on ‘Usurped’ Land
Businessmen Bedri Selmani and MP Shaip Muja, both former advisors to Hashim Thaci, are accused of usurping prime real estate in Pristina.
Kosovo Turns Blind Eye to Illegal Mosques
Kosovo’s municipal authorities continue to ignore the growing number of illegally built mosques, which now total more than a hundred.
Kosovo Tax Dodgers Flourish in Corridors of Power
A café in parliament, a restaurant owned by the Deputy Prime Minister Behgjet Pacolli’s family and another owned by the family of a senior figure in the governing party, Shaip Muja, are among the thousands of companies that are breaking the law by not properly declaring taxes.
The Rule of Law in Kosovo: Mission Impossible?
The EU’s rule-of-law mission in Kosovo is failing to prosecute key figures accused of corruption and organised crime because of political interference and fears that putting too much pressure on Pristina could spark inter-ethnic violence, say campaigners.
