Endrit Shala sentenced to two years for conflict of interest

The Basic Court in Prishtina has released the full reasoning for the conviction of former Minister of Industry and Trade, Endrit Shala, who was sentenced to two years in prison for conflict of interest.

The court determined that Shala intentionally participated in a decision-making process despite being aware of a family connection with the owner of the economic operator that benefited from the decision. Specifically, the ruling states that Shala was aware of a marital relationship with the owner of the business ‘Euro Inspekt’, which was appointed to conduct conformity assessments for oil fuels in Kosovo.

According to the judgment, Shala had a legal obligation to declare this conflict of interest and recuse himself from the process. The court concluded that his failure to declare the interest of a close person, combined with the issuance of a decision that created the possibility for financial gain for a relative, fulfilled the objective and subjective elements of the criminal offense of conflict of interest.