Owner of Demolished Motel in Ujman: We Did Not Expect the Intervention, Trial Was Set for August 12

Jordan Jakshiq, owner of the Lake (Jezero) motel and beach bar, which Kosovo authorities demolished today in Ujman, said the intervention took him by surprise, as he claims that court proceedings over ownership of the properties were still ongoing.

Speaking to Zubin Potok Info, he said his family had filed a lawsuit against the “Ibër-Lepenci” company. According to Jakshiq, they had been notified just one day earlier that the court hearing was scheduled for August 12.

“Since we had filed a lawsuit against Ibër-Lepenci, we did not think they would come. Yesterday, we learned that the trial had been set for August 12. We believed the court proceedings would take place first and that only then would a decision be made,” he said on Thursday, after his motel and beach bar were demolished.

According to Jakshiq, two members of his family were inside the building when the intervention began, while those who entered were, as he claimed, “carrying long-barreled weapons.”

“My son and son-in-law spent the night here. They forced their way in, breaking down the dining room door and the main entrance. They found him in bed with long-barreled weapons. We did not think this would happen. We have lived here for more than 30 years,” Jakshiq said.

The building was the 17th to be demolished this month by the inspectorate of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning. The actions followed a request from the “Ibër-Lepenc” company, which said all the buildings had been erected on land belonging to the public enterprise in the Lake Ujman area. The company also said that the previous owners had refused to vacate them, despite having been asked to do so at the beginning of the month.

Thursday’s demolition was carried out even though the European Union had recently called on the Kosovo authorities to halt all action until the conclusion of court proceedings concerning ownership of the buildings around Ujman.