Kosovo Prosecutor Resigns After Alleged Threats
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| Prosecutor Elez Blakaj. Photo: BIRN. |
The unexpected resignation after alleged threats of Elez Blakaj, a special prosecutor who was investigating the abuse of Kosovo Liberation Army war veterans’ lists, sparked consternation in Kosovo on Wednesday.
Blakaj worked for the Kosovo Special Prosecution on several sensitive cases, and State Prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi confirmed that he had been the subject of intimidation “while he was investigating the case about KLA war veterans”.
Lumezi said that police were investigating the alleged threat.
He also said that Blakaj allegedly received threats on Facebook because of his work investigating cases related to terrorism.
A message that said “Condemn criminals, not imams” pushed Blakaj to ask for police protection for his children on their way to school and back, according to Lumezi.
Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri expressed concern about the resignation.
“It is unacceptable for a state prosecutor to come under pressure from threats and chose resignation as an alternative,” Tahiri said.
The US ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, wrote on Twitter that it was a “sad day for rule of law in Kosovo”.
A sad day for #RuleOfLaw in #Kosovo when a top prosecutor feels he must resign due to threats and lack of support. Especially upsetting when he was working on a massive pension fraud case.
— Amb. Greg Delawie (@USAmbKosovo) August 15, 2018
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci also condemned the alleged threats that caused the prosecutor to quit.
“The rule of law is the foundation of a democratic state and society and one of the most important links in strengthening the European perspective of our country,” Thaci wrote on Facebook.
The verification as war veterans of former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters – a status which gives access to benefit payments – was controversial process that took several years.
Allegations have been made that the final list of veterans has more names on it than there were KLA fighters during the conflict with Serbian forces.
In April this year, prosecutors charged three people with fraud and falsifying documents to gain KLA war veteran status.
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