The Basic Court in Pristina has issued a guilty verdict against the former mayor of Leposaviq, Dragan Jabllanović, sentencing him to 3 years in effective prison for “Abuse of Official Duty.” A guilty verdict was also issued for 13 other defendants for “Abuse of Official Duty” and “Abuse of Economic Authorizations.” However, all defendants were acquitted of the charge of “Participation in and Organization of a Criminal Group.”
In this case, the indictment charged Dragan Jabllanović, the former mayor of Leposaviq, with participation in or organization of an organized criminal group and abuse of his official position or authority, alongside Haxhi Bejta, Aleksandar Acković, Aleksandar Kostić, Čedomir Timotijević, Bojan Banović, Miroslav Ivanović, Ivan Kadić, and Boban Milovanović. The accused Xhemajl Ferizi, Haki Haxhiu, Mehdi Haxhiu, Mensur Rama, and Nijazi Musliu were charged with criminal offenses related to participation in or organization of a criminal group and abuse of economic authorizations.
The ruling was announced on Thursday by the presiding judge, Violeta Namani, as reported by Betimi për Drejtësi.
Dragan Jabllanović, for the offense of “Abuse of Official Duty,” was sentenced to 3 years in prison, which will be executed once the ruling becomes final.
Haxhi Bejta, for the same offense, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, to be executed after the finalization of the ruling.
Aleksandar Acković, also charged with “Abuse of Official Duty,” received a 2-year prison sentence, effective after the ruling becomes final.
All of the above defendants received an additional penalty of being banned from holding public office in the public administration or public service for two years after serving their prison sentences.
Aleksandar Kostić, for the offense of “Abuse of Official Duty,” was sentenced to 1 year in prison, to be executed after the ruling becomes final. He was also banned from holding public office for 1 year following his prison term.
Čedomir Timotijević, for the same offense, was sentenced to 2 years in prison, to be executed after the finalization of the ruling, and was banned from public office for 2 years after serving his sentence.
Bojan Banović, for “Abuse of Official Duty,” was sentenced to 2 years in prison, with an additional ban from public office for 2 years, to be served after his sentence.
Mirolsav Ivanović was sentenced to 2 years in prison for the same offense, to be executed after the ruling becomes final.
Ivan Kadić, for “Abuse of Official Duty,” was sentenced to 6 months in prison, which may be replaced with a fine of 5,000 euros, upon his consent. He was also banned from holding public office for 1 year after serving his sentence.
Boban Milovanović, for the same offense, was sentenced to 6 months in prison, with the possibility of replacing it with a fine of 5,000 euros, and also banned from holding public office for 1 year.
The defendants above were convicted for “Abuse of Official Duty” as joint perpetrators.
Xhemajl Ferizi, for the offense of “Abuse of Economic Authorizations,” was sentenced to a 500,000-euro fine and 2 years in prison, to be executed once the ruling becomes final.
Similarly, Haki Haxhiu, for “Abuse of Economic Authorizations,” was sentenced to a 500,000-euro fine and 2 years in prison, to be executed once the ruling becomes final.
Mehdi Haxhiu, for the same offense, was also sentenced to a 500,000-euro fine and 2 years in prison.
Mensur Rama, for “Abuse of Economic Authorizations,” was sentenced to a 50,000-euro fine and 1 year in prison, to be executed once the ruling becomes final.
Nijazi Musliu, for “Abuse of Economic Authorizations,” was sentenced to a 100,000-euro fine and 6 months in prison, which may be replaced by a 30,000-euro fine upon his consent.
The court ruled that there were no elements of the crime of “Participation in or Organization of a Criminal Group,” and therefore the defendants were acquitted of this charge.
Each of the defendants is ordered to pay a court fee of 500 euros and 100 euros for the victims’ compensation fund.
The State Attorney, as the representative of the injured party, is instructed to follow civil proceedings for any compensation claims.
The parties dissatisfied with the verdict have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals through the Basic Court in Pristina.
In the September 20, 2024 session, the former mayor of Leposaviq defended himself, denying any involvement in the employment of the other accused individuals.
The indictment, filed by the Special Prosecutor’s Office on September 13, 2021, charged all defendants with actively participating as part of an organized criminal group from 2015 to 2017, committing serious criminal offenses and knowingly contributing to the realization of criminal activities.
The accused were charged with crimes including “Participation in or Organization of a Criminal Group,” “Abuse of Official Duty,” and “Abuse of Economic Authorizations.”
According to the Penal Code of Kosovo, “Participation in or Organization of a Criminal Group” is punishable by a fine of up to 250,000 euros and a prison sentence of at least seven years. In its aggravated form, the penalty may rise to a fine of up to 500,000 euros and a prison term of at least 10 years.
“Abuse of Official Duty” is punishable by imprisonment of six months to five years, while “Abuse of Economic Authorizations” is punishable by imprisonment of one to eight years.
