Trial Over Terrorist Attack on the Iber-Lepenc Canal to Be Held Tomorrow

The Basic Court in Pristina will hold a hearing tomorrow in the trial of Jovan and Dragisha Viqentijeviq, who are accused of involvement in the November 2023 terrorist attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal.

As at the initial hearing, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the criminal offenses with which they are charged.

The Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo claims that evidence obtained during the investigation proves the defendants’ involvement in the criminal offenses for which they are standing trial.

According to the Prosecution, the investigation also identified the role of the Serbian government in preparing the attack.

Meanwhile, Ernest Kerqeli, director of the Water and Generation Department at the company, testified today. He said that police teams, KFOR personnel and company employees arrived at the scene after the explosion, while work to repair the damage began only after investigators granted permission.

During questioning, presiding judge Vesel Ismaili asked Kerqeli whether investigative teams had also been present in the area where the explosion occurred.

Kerqeli replied that police forces, KFOR personnel and company workers had arrived there before him. He explained that repairs did not begin without the investigators’ approval, as they were collecting samples, while other experts had also arrived at the scene.

Asked by the judge whether he had noticed any traces of the explosion or of people present in the area, the witness said he had not observed anything of the kind.

Kerqeli also spoke about the damage that could have been caused if immediate repair measures had not been taken, stressing that the consequences for Kosovo’s citizens and infrastructure would have been extremely severe.

According to him, Kosovo’s citizens would have been left without electricity and telephone lines, while residents of Pristina and other areas supplied by Termokos would have been unable to heat their homes. He added that QKUK would have been left without electricity, heating and water, while the immediate shutdown of the B Power Plant would have had serious consequences for infrastructure. Kerqeli said losses would have reached millions each day and that, with every day of delay, the damage would have increased by millions upon millions.