Durres Port Director Liburn Aliu is being questioned by Kosovo’s Special Prosecutor’s Office as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of office during the period when he served as minister of Environment and Infrastructure. According to the version reported by authorities and media in Kosovo, the case is linked to the so-called water bottlers case and to alleged damage of millions of euros to the state budget.
Questioning began in the morning
According to the published information, Aliu has been questioned by the Special Prosecutor’s Office since 10:00 a.m.
At the center of the investigation is his role in decision-making while serving as a minister in Kosovo, long before he was appointed head of the Port of Durres.
What is being investigated
According to the suspicions raised in Kosovo, Liburn Aliu may have caused financial damage to the state in the 2021-2024 period, when he led the Ministry of Environment and Infrastructure.
The official version speaks of abuse of office aimed at unlawfully obtaining material benefit for himself or for others, while damaging the budget of the Republic of Kosovo.
Suspicions over the reduction of debts owed by operators
In this case file, Aliu is suspected of having been aware of the actions of several ministry officials, identified as Izedin Bytyqi and Naser Hafizi, who according to the investigation acted in violation of rules, procedures and laws related to the calculation of debts.
According to the allegations being verified, the former minister allowed the obligations of economic operators to be reduced, which according to the prosecution may have caused damage to public finances.
From ministerial office to the leadership of the Port of Durres
The case also gains weight because of Aliu’s current role as director of the Port of Durres, an institution of strategic importance and high public interest.
At this stage, this is questioning within the framework of an investigation and not a final decision on criminal responsibility.
The investigation in Kosovo brings renewed attention to the way decisions affecting public money are managed and the possible favoring of economic operators, especially when those responsible later move into other important state positions.
For the moment, what is known is that the Special Prosecutor’s Office is verifying whether the suspicions of the alleged financial damage and abuse of office are supported by sufficient evidence.