15 February 2013

A panel of three EULEX judges at the Basic Court of Mitrovice/a convicted two police officers on corruption related offences and acquitted for others on similar charges.

The panel found the defendant A.S. guilty of the criminal offence of abusing official position or authority and sentenced him to five months of imprisonment. The sentence was suspended for a verification period of two years. A.S. was acquitted of the criminal offence of accepting bribes.

N.P. was also found guilty of the criminal offences of abusing official position or authority and accepting bribes and sentenced to an aggregate punishment of one year and two months of imprisonment. The sentence was suspended for a verification period of two years and six months.

The defendants N.D., B.S., K.H. and H.F. were found not guilty and acquitted of all charges.

The six accused, all police officers, were charged in the indictment with abusing their official position by passing information to a cooperative witness concerning which way to take the goods that he was smuggling and the whereabouts of police check points. The indictment also alleged that on some occasions, some of the accused, when positioned at the check points, would personally allow the cooperative witness to pass with the smuggled goods.

The case was prosecuted by a EULEX special prosecutor of Kosovo’ Special prosecution Office (SPRK).