The European Commission has slammed the Kosovo government for ending the country’s Anti-Corruption Task Force.
On Wednesday, EC spokeswoman Ana Pisonero tweeted that Prime Minister Advullah Hoti’s decision “raises concerns about [government’s] commitment to the fight against corruption.”
Decision of 🇽🇰 government to abolish the special anti-corruption department with the Kosovo Police raises concerns about its commitment to the fight against corruption. This department plays a key role in this fight, as noted in latest @EU_Commission and @EULEXKosovo reports.
— AnaPisonero (@APisoneroECSpox) October 21, 2020
Pisonero stressed that the department played a key role in the fight against corruption, as it was noted in the latest European Commission progress report on Kosovo.
Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said that the dismantling was needed “to strengthen the separation of powers”, suggesting that the anti-corruption department within the police could not effectively investigate government corruption, and that it should be done by the judiciary, namely the prosecution.
However, EULEX has argued the opposite in its October 2020 report. It recommended the Kosovo government to strengthen the said department, noting that it is “a key player in the area of anti-corruption detection and investigations.”
It highlighted the lack of collaboration between this department and the Prosecution of Kosovo: “The level of cooperation and coordination between police and prosecution remains a concern.”
The report noted a tendency by the prosecution “to maintain some cases in the initial phase, and delay the opening of formal investigations until the last moment, possibly in order to prolong the procedure so that the investigation extends over the legal deadline of two years.”
On October 16, Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti also dismissed the heads of Kosovo police, customs and tax agency.
