The trial against the former chief executive officer of the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), Nagip Krasniqi, continued on Monday at the Basic Court in Pristina. Krasniqi, who is charged with abuse of official position, once again declared himself innocent.
Të lidhura
None found
The hearing is being held before a new trial panel consisting of Violeta Namani-Hajra, as presiding judge, and Medie Bytyqi and Vesel Ismaili, as members. The news was reported by “Betimi për Drejtësi”.
During the hearing, it was confirmed that the opening statements and testimony given earlier in the proceedings would be deemed read. They had been entered into the record when the trial panel was headed by Judge Arben Hoti, who has since been promoted to the Court of Appeals.
At the request of lawyer Virtyt Ibrahimaga, the trial panel clarified in advance that it had not communicated with prosecutor Dren Paca. The latter had left the judges’ office area during the break. Prosecutor Paca also denied having communicated with the judges, apart from contacts with his own staff.
Krasniqi rejected the charges at the initial hearing on October 8, 2024, and maintained the same position on July 3, 2025.
The indictment against him was filed by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo on August 19, 2024. It charges Nagip Krasniqi with the criminal offense of “abuse of official position or authority”.
According to the indictment obtained by “Betimi për Drejtësi”, during his time at the helm of KEK, from October 15, 2021 onward, Krasniqi allegedly approved purchases, signed contracts, authorized their signing and confirmed the continuation of trading with the Slovenian operator “Holding Slovenske Elektrane” SE.
The prosecution alleges that these actions were carried out to enable the operator to trade electricity in Kosovo, in violation of the Law on Electricity and the Law on the Energy Regulator. According to the indictment, Krasniqi was aware that trading could not take place without a license from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO), or without the operator’s license being recognized by that institution.
The indictment states that the alleged actions secured a financial benefit for the operator and enabled it to avoid tax obligations in Kosovo. As a result, Kosovo’s budget was allegedly damaged in the amount of 531,920 euros and 79 cents, while other competing economic operators that were licensed and met their tax obligations were harmed and discriminated against. According to the prosecution, the material damage caused to KEK amounts to 3,229,905 euros.
The prosecution’s evidence also includes a penalty imposed on KEK by the ERO for violations identified in the purchase of electricity. The regulator’s report noted that, under the laws in force, electricity trading may be conducted only by operators holding a license issued by the ERO and registered in Kosovo.
According to the report, unlicensed activities could be permitted only when operators held a license in their own countries. However, such a license could be recognized in Kosovo only after the conditions set out in the Regulation on Licensing Energy Activities in Kosovo had been met.
According to the indictment, the ERO had repeatedly asked KEK, through official letters and email, to act in accordance with the law and stop trading electricity with unlicensed operators.
On August 19, 2022, the ERO monitored the trading activity in real time and found that KEK, despite the warnings and repeated requests, continued to act in violation of the law.
KEK’s working group had agreed to implement the findings of the ERO report. The indictment quotes KEK as stating that it would ultimately respect the ERO’s positions, as the institution authorized to regulate the energy sector and appointed by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo under the legislation in force.
It also stated that KEK would stop trading electricity with traders who did not present a license or evidence from the ERO that they did not need one, as all avenues of communication with the regulator had been exhausted.
The prosecution alleges that this response was not forwarded to the ERO in its entirety. According to the prosecution, the email sent by Eljas Jashari included only comments disputing the ERO’s findings, on the grounds that the operators did not need additional licenses because they were licensed in their own countries.
“According to the aforementioned response, it appears that the positions of KEK’s working group were not forwarded to the ERO, but rather Nagip Krasniqi’s personal position,” the indictment states.
The indictment also refers to an opinion by KEK’s legal office, in which Nagip Krasniqi was copied on the email. According to the opinion, the ERO’s position was correct and the accused had been informed that the regulator had to be respected, as it was the competent state authority in this field.
The same opinion stated that even in cases when KEK had taken matters to court, the ERO had prevailed, while KEK’s claims had been rejected because the regulator’s authority over electricity matters was final.
According to the prosecution, an email from the Energy Trading Management Department was also forwarded to Nagip Krasniqi. It requested his confirmation on whether trading with the “HSE” operator should continue, while emphasizing that the response sent to the ERO appeared to indicate that trading should continue.
Krasniqi replied: “I confirm the continuation of trading in accordance with the response sent to the ERO.” As a result, trading with this unlicensed operator continued until the contract was suspended and finally terminated, in May 2023 and August 2023, respectively.
In the same correspondence, Operations Director Luigj Imeri had asked Chief Executive Officer Krasniqi for the relevant confirmation. The prosecution says that after Krasniqi’s response, Anjeta Zeqiri and Besa Shatri reacted mockingly.
“Hahaha, you ruined the trips,” “Hey, Luigji was about to resign here… he must have had second thoughts,” the replies in the official email read.
According to the indictment, the Slovenian operator did not appear on the list of licensed companies and, based on data from the Kosovo Business Registration Agency, was not registered as a business in Kosovo either.
The indictment also refers to a KEK letter dated August 7, 2023. It confirms that, following Nagip Krasniqi’s arrest in connection with a matter unrelated to this case, KEK initially notified “HSE” on May 19, 2023, that cooperation was being suspended.
Later, KEK informed the operator that the contract was being terminated due to the lack of a license issued or recognized by the ERO. According to the notice, if “HSE” were to prove that it held such a license, KEK could begin the procedure for concluding a new contract.
Meanwhile, on December 30, 2024, the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK) filed another indictment against Krasniqi, charging him with abuse of official position.
