Kosovo Mayor Sentenced Over Conflict of Interest

Haki Rugova, mayor of the western Kosovo municipality of Istog/Istok, was sentenced to one year's imprisonment by the Basic Court of Peje/Pec on Monday.

Rugova was accused of abusing his position as mayor by signing a contract with a company owned by his brother. In 2017, BIRN found that the contract was a tender opened by the Municipality of Istog for the construction of sewage systems in the villages of Cerce and Lubozhde, worth around 289,000 euros.

The indictment against Rugova was filed in March 2018, with the trial lasting more than three years.

Rugova's defence said his signing of the contract had no legal consequences as it did not enable the contract to enter into force. His lawyer, Besnik Berisha, argued that the Law on Public Procurement stipulates that the mayor's signature is not required for a medium-sized contract such as this one.

The indictment against Rugova came after the Anti-Corruption Agency filed a criminal report against him, following reports received from BIRN.

"On August 11, 2017, the Anti-Corruption Agency received information from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BIRN and Internews Kosova regarding Haki Rugova due to the possibility of the criminal offence of conflict of interest," the agency stated in its report.