IT WAS billed as Brussels’ biggest and most expensive foreign crisis mission, a chance for the EU to proudly fly its flag while bringing order to lawless Kosovo.

By: Marco Giannangeli
Published: Sun, November 2, 2014

Yet last night that dream lay in tatters when it emerged that senior EU officials were themselves being accused of corruption.

Created in the wake of Kosovo’s independence in 2008 the mission, called Eulex, was intended to stabilise the fledgling nation from the bribery and corruption affecting every part of its hierarchy.

Lawyers and judges were drafted in to ensure trials remained free and untainted by graft and political pressure and the EU-led justice system was carrying out more than 100 investigations into corruption every year.

Last night frantic EU officials were urging Kosovars not to lose faith after a local newspaper revealed that two senior staffers were being prosecuted for taking bribes to drop criminal charges.

According to leading Kosovo daily paper Koha Ditore the two, one of whom is a prosecutor, are accused of dropping the charges in at least three high profile cases in return for cash.

Alarmingly, his co-accused is said to be a judge.

The paper cited leaked documents written by British prosecutor-turned-whistleblower Maria Bamieh, who outlined details of the corruption to her superiors.

She claimed that Czech Jaroslava Novotna, Eulex’ chief prosecutor, and Italian - Albanian Francesco Florit, the former chairman of Eulex’ Assembly of Judges, had shut down cases in return for money in 2012 and 2013.

Florit is said to have personally received a €350,000 bribe, while a third Eulex official was accused of blocking an internal probe.

Yet only Ms Bamieh has been suspended – for leaking confidential documents.

The investigation was confirmed by EULEX chief Gabriele Meucci, who said a criminal investigation was launched after the case surfaced in 2013.

He confirmed a prosecutor had been suspended but did not say why.

Earlier this week he maintained his staff were trying to “make Kosovo a better place for its people and their children … they deserve to do their work and go home at night to their families free from the suspicion of corruption”.

“We deserve to be trusted,” he added

“Allegations of corruption are being thoroughly investigated... If we have allegations of something wrong going on, we are acting, and we don’t just sit and wait and look.”

Last night Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said: “These allegations of EU officials receiving bribes to halt cases into serious crimes, including murder and corruption are extremely concerning.

“The fact that the accused are very senior figures in the EU and that there are claims the EU tried to prevent this scandal coming to light is even more disturbing.

“There must be a thorough investigation into these allegations of EU corruption as well as an independent investigation into whether the EU sought to cover this up.”