5 February 2014, Pristina

Early this morning, an international prosecutor in the Special Prosecution Office in Kosovo (SPRK) conducted an arrest and search operation against ten (10) defendants allegedly involved in an organized criminal group suspected of committing various offences, including (1) Organised Crime (contrary to Article 283 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo ‘CCK’); (2) Trading in Influence (contrary to Article 431 CCK); and (3) Fraud, against the Italian Embassy in Pristina (contrary to Article 335 ‘CCK’). The SPRK and the Italian Embassy in Pristina are working in close and mutual cooperation in this ongoing investigation.

The operation today is a joint investigation between Kosovo Border Police and EULEX, under the auspices of the SPRK.

Searches of several properties are still on-going.