Kosovo Court Acquits “Pronto Case” Defendants

The Municipal Court of Pristina on Friday acquitted all 11 defendants in the "Pronto Case", which has been ongoing for over three years since the Special Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation in 2016 into former MP Adem Grabovci's alleged involvement in influencing public-sector appointments. 

The 11 freed in the verdict included Grabovci, the former Minister of European Integration, Besim Beqaj, and former PDK MP, Zenun Pajaziti. 

The majority of the accused were affiliated to President Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK. The case was dubbed "Pronto" after wiretappings uncovered in an investigation heard Thaci use the greeting in a call with one of the senior PDK officials. 

The trial began in October 2018. Grabovci and other defendants pleaded not guilty to accusations of selectively appointing people based on their party affiliation to run state-owned enterprises. The prosecution claimed these appointments violated "the equal status of the citizens and residents of Kosovo".

The indictment said former PDK parliamentary leader Grabovci communicated with senior officials in charge of appointing directors of companies in which the government held shares during the final months of 2011.

But the trial panel ruled that "it has not been proven that the accused committed the criminal offence for which they are charged," Judge Shasivar Hoti said, delivering the verdict. 

The Prosecutor in the case, Drita Hajdari, told BIRN she was deeply disappointed. "Unfortunately this is not the first case in which powerful people from politics or their circle have evaded justice," she said. "I will file an appeal, as I stand by my position that the accused committed the offences for which the prosecution charged them."