US ambassador in Kosovo defends former ambasador’s employment by the company that constructed the so-called Patriotic Highway as legitimate.
Pristina
The US ambassador in Kosovo, Tracey Jacobson, says that after her diplomatic mission ends in Kosovo, she will find it hard to find an equally interesting job.
She has also declined to criticise her colleague, Christopher Dell, who, since his mission ended in Kosovo, has been employed by the same company that he lobbied to get an 820-million-dollar tender to construct the Albania-Kosovo “Patriotic Highway” when he was ambassador.
The fact that Dell is now employed by a private company does not appear to represent a conflict of interest, according to Jacobson.
On Twitter, Jacobson sidestepped questioned by the same person regarding Dell’s eployment by Bechtel, which has also won a bid worth 600 million dollars to construct the Kosovo-Macedonia highway. “No rules against private employment after retirement”, Jacobson wrote.
According to her, employees of the US State Department need only inform HQ if they intend to start to work as consultants after retirement .
“Employees must also recuse themselves from further involvement with the company they hope to join once they start consultations”, Jacobson added a couple of minutes ago.
On Monday, the Balkan Investigative and Reporting Network and Britain’s Guardian newspaper published an investigation, which showed that Dell, who was nominated by Barack Obama to represent the US in Pristina, was now working for Bechtel Corporation after helping the company to win the Kosovo highway contract.
Dell has not commented regarding the case or answered questions about whether he informed the US State Department regarding his involvment with Bechtel in Kosovo.
“Not in a position to address this as it was before my time here,” Jacobson noted.
