It costs 1,100 euros privately”: 11 defendants plead not guilty in Vushtrri bribery case

Eleven defendants pleaded not guilty at an initial hearing at the Basic Court in Mitrovica in a case in which two surgeons at the Sheikh Zayed General Hospital in Vushtrri are charged with accepting bribes. The other nine are suspected of giving the surgeons money in exchange for medical services.

The indictment filed by the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica charges surgeons Valdet Rexhepi and Ekrem Sefiju with the criminal offense of accepting bribes. Florim Veliu, Besim Grajqefci, Blerim Aliu, Fetah Xhafa, Kamer Hyseni, Labinot Kadriu, Selim Nishori, Berat Qafëleshi and Valdet Imeri are charged with giving bribes.

Rexhepi is charged with six instances of accepting bribes, while Sefiju is suspected of three instances of the same criminal offense.

During the reading of the indictment, prosecutor Fetije Bajrami outlined several cases in which, according to the prosecution, Valdet Rexhepi requested and received money from patients or their relatives to provide medical treatment.

One of the cases involves a payment of 100 euros, made in two installments of 50 euros.

According to the indictment, on March 4, 2026, at around 10:53 a.m., at the Sheikh Zayed General Hospital in Vushtrri, Valdet Rexhepi, acting as a surgeon and public official, allegedly requested and accepted various sums of money to perform his official duties and provide medical treatment. In this instance, he allegedly received 100 euros, in two payments of 50 euros, from Florim Veliu to operate on patient F.V. The evidence obtained indicates that Rexhepi operated on F.V. and that the case was entered in the hospital’s logbook. The prosecution classifies this as the criminal offense of accepting bribes under Article 421, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.

The indictment also states that on March 5, 2026, at around 10:08 a.m., at Vushtrri Hospital, Rexhepi accepted another 100 euros, paid in two installments of 50 euros, from Berat Qafëleshi, a representative of the pharmaceutical company FexPharma. The money was allegedly paid to have the doctor prescribe the drug Totalmix to patients, so that it would appear as frequently as possible in patients’ medical reports and be distributed to members of the public. According to the indictment, Rexhepi described the payment as covering the amount owed for January and February, while payments for the other months were still outstanding.

Another incident, for which the prosecution says there is reasonable suspicion, took place on April 1, 2026, at 9:10 a.m., at Vushtrri Hospital. Rexhepi, as a surgeon in the surgery department, allegedly requested and received 300 euros from Fetah Xhafa to schedule his daughter’s operation for April 8, 2026. The sum consisted of one payment of 100 euros and four payments of 50 euros. According to the indictment, Rexhepi operated on the daughter on April 8, 2026.

Surgeon Ekrem Sefiju is also suspected of receiving money from patients’ relatives in exchange for medical services.

In the case of patient H.N., after her relatives were informed that the operation had been completed, her son, Selim Nishori, asked Sefiju: “Where should I make the payment, here in the office or over there, or can I pay you directly?” According to the indictment, monitored conversations indicate that the patient’s relative gave the defendant 100 euros. Sefiju then thanked him, saying: “Much appreciated, because these operations cost around 1,100 euros privately—whatever you wish.” The evidence obtained shows that Sefiju operated on H.N. on March 9, 2026.

The indictment includes another incident on April 23, 2026, at around 10:57 a.m., at Vushtrri Hospital. Sefiju, acting in his official capacity as a doctor and surgeon in the surgery department, allegedly requested money from Valdet Imeri, the husband of patient M.I. During a conversation about how the operation had gone, Imeri asked him: “Can I make the payment now?” Sefiju replied: “Okay, whenever you want, just as I told you.” Imeri then left 300 euros on the desk. According to the indictment, Sefiju approached from the right, took the money and left the office with Imeri. The defendant operated on patient M.I. on April 23, 2026.

At the end of the hearing, the presiding judge, Izet Gërguri, informed the defendants and their defense lawyers that they could file objections to the evidence included in the indictment and a motion to dismiss it.

These submissions may be filed within 30 days of the initial hearing. If the defendants submit them through their lawyers, the court will rule in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, Judge Gërguri said.

Valdet Rexhepi has previously faced proceedings for accepting bribes. In 2017, he was sentenced to six months in prison and fined 400 euros. The prison sentence was later replaced with a fine of 2,000 euros.

Ekrem Sefiju had also previously been subject to judicial measures. He was under house arrest from January 10 to February 9, 2023. According to prosecution spokesperson Valon Preteni, the Serious Crimes Department filed an indictment against Sefiju on July 30, 2024, for the criminal offense of accepting bribes.

Both surgeons were arrested on May 13, 2026. On July 16, 2026, they were released pending trial after the Mitrovica Prosecutor’s Office did not request an extension of their house arrest or the imposition of another measure.