EU Kosovo Prosecutor Criticises Graft Allegations Probe

Two weeks after a report was published concluding that the EU rule-of-law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) had reacted appropriately to corruption claims within its ranks, the prosecutor who unearthed the claims described the document as a disappointment.

In letter to BIRN Kosovo, former EULEX prosecutor Bamieh, whose claims sparked a scandal in the EU mission last year, said that the report on the investigation of her allegations by EU lawyer Jean-Paul Jacque did not get to grips with the issues she raised.

"This report is disappointing and in some instances factually inaccurate. Important information has been omitted and the report is more akin to an internal report as opposed to an independent report," said Bamieh in the letter, which she also plan to send to the European Parliament. 

"He [Jacque] does not deal with corruption in Kosovo and concentrates on me. His reports seeks to influence the ongoing investigation," Bamieh says, referring to an investigation by the International Task Force - an external probe dealing with the corruption claims themselves.

The corruption scandal erupted last October after Bamieh expressed concerns that top EULEX legal staff might have accepted bribes from suspects or were not following court procedures. The Jacque report admitted that the scandal had damaged EULEX's reputation.

Bamieh said Jacque he should stay away from making assessments about the validity of the evidence provided - this should be left to the task force, she insisted.

"His report seeks to influence the ongoing investigation by the independent task force as he constantly gives his opinion on witnesses and evidence," she said

The former EULEX prosecutor "does not agree that there was no cover-up" of her allegations.

She...