The number of public officials who have not declared their assets to the Anti-Corruption Agency has increased by about sevenfold compared to last year. Nearly 200 officials have not responded positively to the call for the declaration of assets, out of the 8,000 that were required.
The director of the Anti-Corruption Agency, Yll Buleshkaj, says that despite the fact that there have been simplifications in the declaration process, the number of officials who have not fulfilled this obligation has increased compared to last year, during the last year there were over 30 people who did not have declared the wealth, whereas he shows that this year, this number reaches 200.
Buleshkaj told KosovaPress that for all those who have not responded positively to this call, the law foresees the imposition of fines, starting with the suspension of 30 percent of the monthly salary and up to criminal charges to the justice institutions.
In an interview for KosovaPress, Buleshkaj says that there was a request from the Kosova Police that some employees in some specific positions should not declare their assets, but adds that it was rejected because there was no legal basis.
He emphasizes that the law exempts only the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and special units of the Kosovo Security Forces (FSK) from publishing the declaration of assets.
Buleshkaj considers the increase in the number of public officials who have not declared their wealth as a negative trend.
He said that despite not having it as an obligation, they sent some warning to the officials regarding this matter.
The period for declaring wealth by public officials began on March 1 and ended on March 31.
Meanwhile, for the first time in Kosovo, over 2 thousand doctors and professors were obliged to declare their assets to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. Within the one-month deadline, which ended on March 12, 1500 doctors from regional hospitals and the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), including 800 professors from seven public universities, were obliged to fulfill this legal obligation. /Z. Zeneli/
