EU police raid Kosovo ministry overfor dodgy imports

(PRISTINA) - European police Thursday raided the offices of the Kosovo finance ministry as well as the customs department as a part of probe into dodgy tobacco imports, a statement said.

Police searched "three offices in the Kosovo customs headquarters and the ministry of economy and finance," the European rule of law mission (EULEX) said in a statement.

It was part of an "ongoing investigation into abuse of official position and authority and misuse of economic authorisations related to the import of tobacco in December 2008," the statement said.

The EU police also raided three private houses in Pristina and interrogated the chief of customs offices and head of the legal department of the ministry, it added.

The EU's police and justice mission in Kosovo, EULEX, which numbers around 2,000 people, has a mandate to try cases that the Kosovo judiciary cannot or will not handle because of their sensitive nature, like war crimes and corruption claims.

It can step in and act independently to use its corrective powers in cases where political influence is undermining the rule of law.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, despite fierce opposition from Belgrade.

The move has been recognised by 72 countries, including the United States and most European Union members, but not by Serbia which insists Kosovo is still its southern province.