EU prosecutor charges Kosovo justice over corruption

(PRISTINA) - An EU prosecutor has charged Kosovo's former prosecutor and 13 other judicial officials with corruption during the privatisation of state-run companies, the EU mission said Tuesday.

The EU rule of law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) said former anti-corruption prosecutor Nazmi Mustafi and three other staff from his office have been indicted "for corruption-related offences".

Mustafi, who was also a head of the anti-corruption task force, was arrested in April in a probe into allegations that he had taken bribes to drop corruption charges against several individuals.

"The EULEX prosecutor indicted Nazmi Mustafi for the criminal offences of abusing of official position or authority," the mission said in a statement.

Corruption charges were also filed against a former president of a Pristina municipal court and four of its former judges as well as three ex-district court judges, EULEX said.

A lawyer and a representative of one of the privatised companies were also charged.

The judges were indicted for "abusing official position and authority and assistance in issuing unlawful judicial decision" over 15 civil cases linked with privatisation of public firms.

Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, has so far raised more than 600 million euros ($738 million) from the ongoing privatisation of its state-run companies.

But local media and economic experts warn that the process has become a breeding ground for corruption, which remains a serious concern as international and local watchdogs charging that Pristina lacks the political will to fight the problem.

On Transparency International's corruption perception index for last year, Kosovo was ranked 112th of 183 countries and territories.

Earlier this month Kosovo former deputy prime minister Bujar Bukoshi and 10 other officials were charged with corruption over allegations that they took bribes to award major health contracts.

EULEX was launched in 2008 to oversee the rule of law in Kosovo and tackle high-profile cases that are too sensitive for the local judiciary.