Weak justice system failing Kosovo
Kosovo's feeble legal system is chasing away foreign investment, an international policy group said.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, May 20, 2010
The International Crisis Group said in a report that the country "struggles with uneven rule of law and a weak justice system that is failing its citizens."
The police, public prosecutors and courts are erratic performers, prone to political interference and abuse of office," the report said. "Organized crime and corruption are widespread and growing."
The report comes as the European Union is investigating alleged embezzlement of public fund in Kosovo's Ministry of Transportation. EU justice officials have been quoted by local media as saying that at least half a dozen senior officials in other government ministries are also being investigated.
The investigation has strained relations between the ethnic Albanian leadership and international officials.
The policy group warned, however, that foreign investors will not risk capital without assurances of legal protection, while local magnates with political connections will seek to keep their monopolies and stifle competition.
"This reputation keeps investment out and Kosovo mired in poverty," the Brussels-based policy group said.
Kosovo is one of Europe's poorest regions. An estimated 40 percent of its citizens are without jobs.
