OSCE, Italian Embassy train law enforcement agencies in Kosovo on combating corruption

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 19 October 2018 – Over 40 representatives of law enforcement agencies in Kosovo concluded today an advanced anti-corruption training programme, organized by the 2018 OSCE Italian Chairmanship, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Italian Embassy in Prishtinë/Priština.

The three-day event, held under the auspices of the 2018 OSCE Italian Chairmanship, included officers from the Kosovo Police, Police Inspectorate, Anti-Corruption Agency, Financial Intelligence Unit and various judicial institutions. It was designed to strengthen capacities for fighting corruption through the presentation of experiences and best practices of the Italian Guardia di Finanza and Prosecution Service.

“We were happy to contribute by sending our best people to Prishtinë/Priština. Corruption is, unfortunately, a pressing issue throughout the world, but I believe my country, and the Guardia di Finanza in particular, have an edge on this matter, as we are quite advanced in investigating and prosecuting corruption,” said Alessandro Azzoni, Permanent Representative of Italy to the OSCE.

In the course of the programme, the participants attended modules on preventive and repressive activities; tracking of financial flows in money laundering investigations; international legal tools for investigations into corruption; investigative techniques; and criminal asset recovery.

“Kosovo is making progress on its track record in combating corruption and organized crime, but these efforts need to be sustained and further strengthened,” said Jan Braathu, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. “The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is a partner for our counterparts in the Kosovo Police, Judiciary and Prosecutorial Services. Together with the Italian Embassy and the OSCE Chairmanship, we seek to support, encourage and enable Kosovo institutions in their efforts against corruption through specialized training.”

Piero Sardi, Italian Ambassador to Prishtinë/Priština, said that Italy supports the fight against corruption, which falls within the wider fight against organized crime as well as within the overall effort to reinforce, implement and, where needed, enforce the rule of law. “Fighting against corruption is an essential part of strengthening the rule of law, since corruption is detrimental to citizens, distorting the effective functioning of the institutions. It puts a financial burden on the economic system and entails the disruption of the social fabric. In the medium and long term, corruption hampers Kosovo’s development potential, both in the economic and in the social fields.”

As a follow-up, from November 2018 through March 2019, the Italian Government will support a project aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo in conducting criminal investigations into allegations of misconduct by members of Kosovo Police. The project will enhance the capacity of the Inspectorate to protect the identity of informants and whistle-blowers, investigate financial irregularities, conduct risk analysis of corruption in the police and strengthen integrity testing in the police.

The Italian OSCE Chairmanship has identified anti-corruption as one of its top priorities.