Prosecutors in Kosovo are looking into allegations that the Serbian government has smuggled in a number of vaccines in the northern part of the country, following the Serbian president’s announcement that his government had launched a vaccination campaign in Kosovo.
Chief Prosecutor of Mitrovica, Shyqri Syla, told Koha newspaper that they are looking into the available information before formally launching an investigation.
He said there is no official information into how and how many vaccines might have entered the country. The chief prosecutor added that they suspect at least two criminal offences to have been committed: providing unauthorized medical assistance and smuggling of medical products.
Three days ago, Vucic announced that Serbia has started vaccination of Serbs in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo media reported that 80 vaccines were believed to have been delivered to local Serb authorities.
The government of Kosovo said they had no information about it. Minister of Foreign Affairs Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla accused the Serbian government of having violated the 2015 Brussels agreement if they had smuggled in vaccines without the permission of Kosovo’s authorities.
Serbia’s President Aleksander Vucic has maintained that they did not violate any agreement, and will keep helping Serbs in Kosovo.
On Monday, Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti stated that he discussed the issue with European Commissioner for Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi.
“We raised our concerns about the illegal entry in Kosovo of Covid-19 vaccines, without regular import procedures or donations for medicinal products, and the origin of which is not even known. We consider this behavior of the Republic of Serbia unacceptable. The institutions of Kosovo have initiated the necessary legal actions against the persons involved in these actions,” Hoti stated on Monday.
