Kosovo Oil Traders Association supports investigations and calls for the sector not to be treated in a generalized manner

The Kosovo Oil Traders Association, which operates within the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, has declared its full support for the justice institutions regarding the investigations being conducted into suspicions of legal violations by some oil importers.

According to its statement, the issues currently under investigation are considered isolated cases and, as it says, do not reflect the work and professionalism of the majority of operators in this sector, who conduct their activities in accordance with the law and applicable standards.

The statement says: “The Kosovo Oil Traders Association remains committed to close cooperation with the competent institutions and supports every process that strengthens the rule of law, promotes fair competition and increases citizens’ trust in the oil market”.

Furthermore, the Association emphasizes that any possible violation should be addressed on the basis of facts and that responsibility should be individual, without being extended as a generalization over the entire sector.

At the same time, a large-scale police operation against organized crime, led by the Special Prosecution and the Directorate for the Investigation of Serious Crimes and Organized Crime in the Kosovo Police, with the assistance of Kosovo Customs and the Kosovo Tax Administration, led today to the arrest of 9 people.

By order of the Basic Court in Prishtina, searches were carried out at 21 locations during this operation.

This operation was conducted within the framework of investigative procedural actions, and after gathering information and securing evidence, there is suspicion that those arrested operated as a structured criminal group, submitting false tax documents and carrying out fictitious sales and transactions involving oil derivatives.