Retrial of the “53-million case”: Pal Lekaj again sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison, prosecution welcomes the decision

The Basic Court in Pristina has found former Infrastructure Minister Pal Lekaj, his former political adviser Eset Berisha, former Secretary-General Nebih Shatri and former Director of Public Procurement Besim Tahiri guilty in the retrial of the case known as the “53-million case”.

Pal Lekaj was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison, while being barred from exercising public functions in the administration or public service for 3 years and 6 months.

Eset Berisha was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison, along with a 3-year ban on exercising public functions.

Nebih Shatri and Besim Tahiri were each sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison. For both of them, the court also imposed a 2-year ban on exercising public functions.

The retrial was held after the Court of Appeals annulled the Basic Court’s initial judgment, issued on January 31, 2024. In the initial proceedings, all four defendants were sentenced to a total of 10 years and 3 months in prison.

The case concerns an additional payment of 53.1 million euros to the “Bechtel & Enka” consortium following the extension of the deadline for completing work on the Pristina–Hani i Elezit motorway, known as the “Arbën Xhaferi” motorway.

According to the indictment filed on February 4, 2022, the Special Prosecution alleges that the defendants acted jointly and intentionally when allocating the funds. At the time, Lekaj was Infrastructure Minister, Berisha was his adviser, Shatri was Secretary-General, and Tahiri was Director of Public Procurement.

Following the decision, the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo said it welcomed the guilty verdict issued in the retrial as well.

The prosecuting institution assessed that the decision represents an important step toward strengthening the rule of law and ensuring accountability in cases of high-level corruption.

“The Special Prosecution reaffirms its commitment to fighting corruption and prosecuting all possible perpetrators,” the statement said.

The Basic Court’s decision is not final. The parties may challenge it by appealing to the Court of Appeals.