Ministry of Environment official arrested, accused of allowing import of banned substances into Kosovo

A joint operation by the Kosovo Police and the Basic Prosecution of Prishtina has led to the handcuffing of an employee of the Ministry of Environment, who is suspected of enabling the entry into the country of banned chemicals and pesticides.

Sinjali has obtained exclusive information that the detained person is Nazmi Maxhera, around 63 years old.

Based on data obtained by Sinjali, the operation took place on July 21st, at 11:30, by the Directorate for Investigation of Economic Crimes and Corruption (DHKEK), specifically the Sector for Corruption Investigation, in partnership with the Basic Prosecution in Prishtina.

From the investigations carried out, it results that Nazmi Maxhera, in his role as the responsible official for biocidal products in the former Ministry of Environment, violated the limits of his authority by issuing import licenses in contravention of the Law on Biocides and Chemicals.

The investigative material shows that he is accused of authorizing the entry of banned active substances, listed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), as well as pesticides, the licensing of which legally belongs to the relevant institution under the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to Sinjali’s sources, as a result of these authorizations, the banned substances are thought to have arrived in Kosovo at different times through various economic operators.

During the police intervention, two mobile phones were temporarily confiscated from the suspect, while he was questioned with the participation of his legal defender.

By order of the State Prosecutor, Nazmi Maxhera has been placed in detention for 48 hours, on charges of the criminal offenses ‘Misuse of official duty or authority’ and ‘Forgery of an official document’.

Investigative actions on this matter are ongoing and aim to clarify whether other economic operators benefited from these actions or if other individuals are also implicated.

Note: Persons mentioned in this article are considered innocent until their guilt is proven by a final court decision.