Pristina, March 31, 2016 – The Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED) and the implementing partner, Eye of the Vision (SiV), organized a round table on the topic: “Response to Money Laundering in Kosovo: Between Policies and Practice“, to present the draft report with the same title, which contains the main findings and recommendations about this issue.
This was the fifth table organized within the project “Meeting EU requirements for good governance, for the further European integration of Kosovo“, a project which was financed and supported by the Office of the European Union in Kosovo.
Representatives from the key institutions of the rule of law in Kosovo from the central and local level took part in this table, such as: Ministry of Justice, Financial Intelligence Unit, Kosovo Police, Kosovo Customs, Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, Basic Court (Gjakovë ), the Basic Court (Pejë), the Basic Prosecutor’s Office (Pejë), representatives of international institutions in Kosovo such as the European Union Office in Kosovo, EULEX, OSCE, representatives from accredited embassies in Kosovo and representatives from civil society.
The panel of this table, composed of representatives of the Office of the European Union in Kosovo, the Ministry of Justice, the Kosovo Institute for Justice, and researchers of KIPRED and SiV, opened the discussion about this topic from the respective point of view.
Ms. Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa, manager of this project and at the same time senior researcher at KIPRED, presented the methodology of the research work, findings so far and recommendations in the field of money laundering, with a focus on policies and practices so far in combating this phenomenon.
“The legal framework against money laundering is largely in line with international standards, with some shortcomings that are expected to be addressed in the new law, which is currently being drafted. Also, it is considered that the institutional response to this phenomenon is not very satisfactory, given that the number of indictments, and especially verdicts, is very small. In order to successfully combat money laundering, there should be a better coordination and cooperation of all institutions responsible in combating this phenomenon” – said Ms. Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa.
The fact that political parties continue not to report regularly to the Financial Intelligence Unit of Kosovo (NJIF), while most of the powerful companies in the country remain closely connected with political parties and continue to win tenders and funding in the form of public tenders. Likewise, the results of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and the Courts continue to be small, while the Police has recorded a slight increase in the investigation of these cases. During 2015, the Special Prosecutor’s Office managed to resolve only 6 (six) cases against 14 persons, or 17% of cases. The number of persons accused by special prosecutors was even lower in 2015, with 6 (six) persons accused compared to 2014. As for the cases related to the final verdicts for money laundering in 2015, there was only one occasion. On the other hand, the importance of protective mechanisms for officials who deposit information related to money laundering cases, as well as the protection of witnesses, was also discussed.
Participants at the roundtable discussed the findings of KIPRED and SiV and expressed their opinions regarding the most efficient solutions around the issue of money laundering. Discussions focused on increasing political will and readiness of law enforcement institutions to treat money laundering cases seriously.