24 April 2013

A pre-trial judge at the Serious Crimes Department of the Basic Court of Prizren has issued an order to freeze a large commercial property at No.1 Hamdi Mramoni Street, previously known as No.1 Shkupi Street, behind the National Museum of Kosovo.

This property is registered as belonging to the wife and sisters-in-law of N.U., lawyer and former president of the Municipal Court of Pristina. He is one of four defendants in a EULEX investigation into an allegedly fraudulent claim to ownership of this commercial property. The other defendants are S.M., F.H. and N.K..

The pre-trial judge also made an order to freeze two bank accounts into which the rent from this property has been lodged since 2005.

The effect of this court order is that the registered owners of the property and bank accounts will not be able to sell or transfer the ownership of this property, and will not be able to withdraw money from either bank account, until the end of the main trial in this case. A Court Order to freeze assets is also known as a Long Term Attachment Order, and is contained in Article 266 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Kosovo.

The pre-trial judge made the order after hearing evidence from the EULEX prosecutor and found grounded cause to believe that this property, and the rental income received from it, is a proceed of a criminal offence, in accordance with Articles 264.2 and 266.5 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Kosovo.