Kosovo Serbs employed at the headquarters of the EULEX mission in Pristina accused the mission of discrimination on ethnic and linguistic grounds due to the announcement on non-extension of their contracts, because they do not understand or do not speak fluent Albanian.

As stated in the announcement of their legal representative, Axel Reiter, "it is almost certain that, from November, no Kosovo Serb will work in the EULEX headquarters in Pristina."

By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA (Reuters) - An ally of Kosovo's president is under investigation for allegedly granting jobs at state institutions and companies to people based on their political affiliation, Kosovo's prosecutor said on Friday.

The investigation of Adem Grabovci is based on evidence from phone taps made in 2011 during an anti-corruption operation by the European Union police and justice mission, known as EULEX.

The lawyer of the former Assembly MP, Azem Syla, Tomë Gashi, announced that the Basic Court in Pristina will decide today on whether to release or to extend Syla’s detention for additional three months. Gashi informed that the initial four month detention is over, and the Court will hold a special session to decide on the request of the EULEX prosecutor to extend Syla’s and the other suspects’ detention for additional three months.

On the occasion of the conclusion of the supervision and monitoring of the Kosovo Customs, the Customs director, Lulëzim Rafuna and Acting EULEX Chief, held a press conference, where they assessed that supervision of the Customs by foreign missions since 1999, ends today, but cooperation with EULEX on management of the integrated borders will continue in the future.

Rafuna expressed appreciation to the EULEX mission as well as to the U.S. people who made many investments on Customs with their tax money.

The vice-president of the Movement of Socialists (coalition partner of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party), Bratislav Jugović, who was presented as potential Serbian presidential candidate by the Russian web portal Sputnik, argues that negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina should shift to Moscow and explained that Russia is unavoidable geopolitical factor without which not a single problem can be settled.

Kosovo's Prosecutorial Council unanimously voted in favour of extending the mandate to 17 EULEX prosecutors as well as appointing a new one. The decision came after the Kosovo Assembly extended EULEX mandate.

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Vjosa Osmani asked during today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly why UNMIK is issuing international arrest warrants on Kosovo’s behalf given that EULEX operates in Kosovo. “Yesterday we saw media reports that UNMIK has issued 36 international arrest warrants on behalf of the Republic of Kosovo. The spokesman of this mission [UNMIK] confirmed this saying that the arrest warrants are valid and that they were issued by the INTERPOL liaison office within UNMIK.

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuçi said to the members of the parliamentary commission for European integrations that the mandate of the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, came after lengthy negotiations. Kuçi said that the new EULEX mandate will have a different set of competencies. “The ongoing cases will remain under EULEX while the new cases will be taken on in coordination with the judicial and prosecutorial councils, [and] the state prosecution”, Kuçi said.

The EU's rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, has become officially operative again after the law extending its mandate was published in Kosovo's official gazette - allowing high-profile trials to resume.

The EU's rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, was officially operational again as of Wednesday night, when two laws extending its mandate were published in the official gazette.

This gives a green light to the resumption of several sensitive trials for corruption and organised crime in which EULEX is involved.

EULEX failed once again with regards to the special investigation on the case of Azem Syla and the others. According to Syla’s lawyer, Tomë Gashi, all announced sessions for 6, 7 and 8 July 2016 are annulled.