Kosovo President Secretly Appoints War Crimes Convict as Adviser

The Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency's report on the declaration of wealth of public servants, published on Thursday, revealed that Rrustem Mustafa, popularly known as 'Remi', has been an adviser to Kosovo President Hashim Thaci for the last four months, unknown to the public.

BIRN contacted Mustafa to confirm that he has been working as an adviser to the president. He replied: "What kind of question is this?", then ended the phone call.

According to the Anti-Corruption Agency report, Mustafa's annual salary as adviser to the president is 18,000 euros, which is 13,800 euros more than Kosovo's national average salary.

Besides being an adviser to the president, Mustafa is also a member of the chairmanship of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK.

In 2013, Mustafa, who was the KLA's commander in its 'Llapi Operational Zone' during the war, was found guilty and imprisoned for four years for war crimes, a conviction that was then confirmed by the appeals court.

Mustafa was also invited for an interview in December by the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which is probing wartime and post-war crimes.

The Anti-Corruption Agency's report said that Mustafa began to receive money as an adviser two months after his invitation to give testimony in The Hague.

Mustafa was also decorated by Thaci for his services to Kosovo in February 2018. Thaci awarded Mustafa the Jubilary Presidential Medal, celebrating his "esteemed contribution towards freedom and independence".

On Tuesday, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj dismissed Sylejman Selimi, another former KLA commander who was convicted of war crimes, from his position as his political advisor.

Selimi's appointment in January following his release from prison was...