Trepça reclaims former Commercial Bank in Zveçan

The premises of the former Commercial Bank, located in the center of Zveçan, are once again in the possession of the public enterprise Trepça. The decision to vacate the property was announced in an official notice on August 12.

Faton Ahmeti, acting chief executive officer of Trepça, told KosovaPress that the enterprise is continuing its efforts to identify and reclaim its properties that have been used without valid documentation.

“As part of this effort, we are also taking back several other parcels. We are also documenting buildings about which we previously had no information. This process includes a post office, a pharmacy and the former bank used by the structures. We are acting on the basis of our authorizations, with the aim of protecting the enterprise’s assets and returning them to their owner,” Ahmeti said.

According to him, each intervention is preceded by the relevant notices, while those using the properties are given time to submit ownership documents, if they have them.

“Usually, before vacating a property, we post several notices on the entrance doors. If the users have documents that we do not possess, we give them a few days to submit them. There have been cases in which sales contracts or possession certificates were submitted, in which case we took no action. When no evidence is presented that the property belongs to them, we proceed with vacating it,” he explained.

Ahmeti said that once the warning period expires, the police are notified so they can be present when the premises are opened, while the operation itself is carried out by Trepça officials.

He added that information on properties in the north of the country is being collected chronologically by a task force established by the enterprise.

“In just these past two weeks, we have reclaimed around five premises, as well as a large parking lot with several garages, covering more than 1,600 square meters. We do not have much information on the ground, but whenever we learn that a property belongs to us, the task force works with the Tax Administration and the Municipal Inspectorate, obtains the necessary information and initiates the procedures until the property is reclaimed,” Ahmeti concluded.

The operation to vacate several buildings in northern Kosovo began in mid-August. The first notices were posted on August 12 at the former Post Office, the former Commercial Bank in Zveçan and a pharmacy that was still operating at the time.

The procedure continued with notices being posted at the Pensioners’ Home and at a café along the promenade in North Mitrovica. On August 28, the operation was expanded to include a garage building in Zveçan.