Kosovo Police Arrest 11 Over Privatization Deal

Kosovo police announced they had arrested 11 people suspected of abusing official authority and economic authorization, and of fraud, related to the privatization of a company.

Baki Kelani, police spokesperson, said the arrests concerned the privatization of Fan, a company based in Podujeva/Podujevo.

The company was sold off by the Privatization Agency of Kosovo, PAK.

Media reports said that Naser Osmani, a member of the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, a former member of the PAK board, was amongst the suspects.

“I don’t know what I’m accused of, but I heard it has to do with the vote at the PAK on the privatization [of a company],” he told the media.

Osmani surrendered to the Kosovo Police on Thursday after he returned from Albania where he was when the arrests were made.

Fan was later bought by Agim Deshishku, a close relative of Hashim Deshishku, an MP in parliament for the LDK.

Since it was established in 2008, the privatization agency has been criticized several times for irregularities that allegedly occurred during the sell-offs of socially owned enterprises.