The Agency for Prevention of Corruption launches a mentoring program with the Council of Europe expert

Prishtina, 1 November 2023 – the Agency for Prevention of Corruption of Kosovo (APC) launched a mentoring program for the verification of public officials’ asset declarations with the Council of Europe expert. The program was launched in the presence of the Minister of Justice, Mrs.  Albulena Haxhiu, Mr. Fahret Vellija, a member of the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), the Council of Europe representatives and the European Union Office in Kosovo.

The mentoring program focuses on the verification and auditing process of asset declaration by public officials conducted by APC, in accordance with the Law on the Declaration, Origin, and Control of Assets and Gifts, as well as the Law on APC. The program will provide the APC staff with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the best European practices in verifying the assets declared by state officials of Kosovo.

“This program is an important step in our efforts to strengthen APC’s capacity to prevent corruption in Kosovo”, said Director Yll Buleshkaj.

 “The declaration and verification of assets are key tools in efforts to prevent corruption.  This program will help our staff develop the skills and knowledge needed to more effectively investigate potential violations and, as a result, better serve the people of Kosovo.”

A society cannot have a bright future if those who lead institutions or hold positions at other levels act unlawfully and generate enormous assets from their unlawful activities. We have seen many such cases in Kosovo. We have seen many such cases in Kosovo. However, these individuals should know that such unlawful or unjustifiable assets will never become truly theirs because justice will eventually be served, and the unjustifiable assets will be recovered by the state for the benefit of those who need it the most. As a government, throughout this time, we have been committed to strengthening legislation against corruption and addressing every violation we have identified.” emphasized Minister Haxhiu.

Mr. Vellija, a representative of KJC, expressed support and gratitude for APC’s efforts to enhance its capacity in accordance with the Council of Europe standards.  

The Council of Europe expert will provide mentoring, collective and individual training to APC’s staff during the verification process of asset declaration for the previous year. The mentoring program will cover a wide range of topics related to asset verification, including:

• International comparative practices regarding the verification and auditing of asset declarations.
• Steps to identify financial flows and procedures to obtain information about assets held inside and outside the country by public officials.
• The procedures for verifying and auditing asset declarations.

APC believes that the mentoring program will help it become a more effective and efficient agency in its efforts to prevent corruption and promote transparency and accountability in Kosovo. The program is expected to have a positive impact on APC’s capacity to address the Venice Commission’s recommendations regarding the verification of asset declarations of officials within the Kosovo prosecutorial and judicial system.

The mentoring program is carried out with the support of the Economic Crime Project (PECK III) and is part of a cooperation initiative between the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.