Limaj Lawyer Urges EULEX to Give Up

Fatmir Limaj’s lawyer called on EU prosecutors to abandon charges against his client, saying they had yet to produce any proof of corruption on Limaj's behalf while he was minister for transport.

Tahir Rrecaj, the lawyer representing the vice-president of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK,and former transport minister, said Limaj was innocent and would be proven so.

Speaking after EU prosecutors from the EULEX rule-of-law mission had finished questioning his client for a second day, he said no proof have been produced to back up the corruption allegations against him.

The lawyer said the ex-minister bore no responsibility for graft in the ministry when he held officer there, "since he held a political post, and from such a position Limaj can’t be held accountable for the technical work of the ministry”.
EULEX prosecutors have set a date for the next round of questioning for the former Minister of Transport and Telecommunications on 10 and 12 October.
Limaj’s chances of being arrested rose on Tuesday after Kosovo’s Constitutional Court ruled that parliamentarians are not immune from prosecution if sought by the law.
The ruling raised the prospect that former transport minister may now be arrested after the Court clarified that “A deputy may be arrested or detained while performing his/ her duties, that is, at plenary meetings of the Assembly and/or of its committees, following a decision of the Assembly”.
The newspaper Koha Ditore said Limaj was mainly questioned on Tuesday about how he had obtained the money to buy a house worth 200,000 euro worth in Prishtina.
The newspaper said Limaj had purchased another house at the up-market “International Village in Prishtina” worth 300,000 euro, which EULEX prosecutors were also interested in.
The newspaper said Limaj was questioned further about the sponsorship that his son obtained to study in the US. Prosecutors are concerned about a possible conflict of interest, since Limaj's son was sponsored by his uncle who at the same time won more than one road construction tender from Limaj's ministry.
While EULEX continues to grill Limaj over his time at the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, there is no arrest warrant out on him for corruption.
An ealier arrest warrant was issued against him but never executed for a different charges, of war crimes. This was not executed because of the uncertainties regarding the immunity of members of parliament.
A EULEX judge charged Limaj and nine other former KLA fighters with war crimes against civilians and war prisoners in March.
Tome Gashi, Limaj’s lawyer in this earlier case, said that EULEX now had two options. “It should either drop the arrest warrant against Limaj, or detain him, after the Constitutional Courts decision is published in the Official Gazette.”
According to Koha Ditore, the decision of the Constitutional Court may become effective today.