The case of Selajdin Beqa, Director General of the Competition Authority, is a symbol of abuse of power and lack of institutional transparency.
From the charges physical violence To expose violations of the law in administrative procedures, Beqa appears to be acting with the support of the current government, making this case a serious problem.
All this requires the urgent intervention of the relevant institutions to remove Beqa from his position.
Accusation of physical violence – a principal physically assaulted
According to the indictment filed by the General Prosecutor’s Office in Prishtina, Selajdin Beqa physically attacked his colleague Shemsi Elezi, director of the Market Surveillance Department of the Competition Authority, in the premises of the institution he headed.
Selajdin Beqa had physically assaulted the victim, Shemsi Elezi, on November 29, 2023 by hitting him on the head from behind.
“The defendant, with the intention of causing bodily harm to the other person, now the injured party, Shemsi Elezi, attacked him in such a way that after a preliminary argument until the injured party went into the hallway to the photocopier, “The defendant attacked the injured man from behind , I began to attack him with kicks and hands on various parts of his body and threw him to the ground,” the indictment says.
The attack, which involved punches and kicks, is evidence of unacceptable behavior, particularly for a senior official.
Such an act, carried out in a work environment, is not only a violation of the safety and integrity of other employees, but is also a blatant violation of ethics and laws.
Application for a firearms permit – violation of the law
The letter addressed to Interior Minister Xelal Sveçla requesting permission to carry a weapon at all times is another example of abuse of power.
This request, made outside established legal procedures, raises questions about the thinking and intentions behind it.
In a document published by Nacionale, Selajdin Beqa wrote a letter to Minister Sveçla on April 2, 2024, asking him to approve his weapons permit.
He justified this by saying that there are risks in the workplace and pointed out that various companies were behind the fines they imposed.
“Now, as part of our cooperation with the Commission, we have launched several sensitive investigations in the Kosovo market that could affect the interests of powerful companies with wide distribution and reach in the market. Without anticipating the epilogue of the end of these investigations, I am of the opinion that these procedures can lead to large fines and this clearly exposes me personally to the general risk,” said the letter sent by Selajdin Beqa to Minister Sveçla.
The law is clear: the application for authorization in the arms traffic permit is submitted to the local police station in the region in which the residence or certified weapons storage location is located. The Kosovo police are responsible for such an application, not the Interior Ministry or directly Minister Xhelal Sveçla.
The attempt to bypass regular procedures shows that Beqa has benefited from its close ties to the government.
Illegal surveillance and invasion of privacy
Another worrying aspect is the illegal surveillance of the facility’s employees through cameras.
After analyzing the case, visiting the authority’s facility and other investigations, the Information and Data Protection Authority confirmed that a violation had occurred.
The Agency’s justification signed by Inspection Officer Mirvete Çallaki Aliu stated: “Based on the above facts as well as the Personal Data Protection Law, the Agency concludes that the Competition Authority (in its capacity of controller) through the surveillance system with camera processed personal data in violation of Article 76 paragraph 5 of the Personal Data Protection Act.
This approach violates the privacy and dignity of employees and is an expression of an authoritarian and illegal management culture.
Questionable filling of the position
The procedure for appointing Selajdin Beqa as Director General of the Competition Authority is also controversial.
Beqa has become Director General of the Competition Authority under Article 42 of the 2019 Civil Service Law.
Civil society organizations have expressed strong concerns about the organization of the competition and the violation of legal criteria for the selection of candidates.
In accordance with this article, the direct supervisor will select one of the 10 winners within 10 days of the announcement of the winners.
And in the event that the direct superior does not respond within this period, the winning candidate with the legally highest score will be considered selected for the position.
Beqa, then incumbent president, came first in this contest, but civil society organizations, in a public reaction on October 17, 2023, raised the alarm about this contest, suspecting that it was rigged for a single candidate – precisely Selajdin Beqa.
The call from civil society organizations (Group for Legal and Political Studies – GLPS, GAP Institute, Institute for Development Policy – INDEP) has unanimously called for this recruitment process to be aborted.
While monitoring the preliminary review phase for this hiring process, CorrWatch identified two violations:
- The first violation concerns the establishment of the special criterion. In addition to the fact that the legal procedure for establishing this criterion was not followed, CorrWatch also raises suspicions that the competition was rigged for a particular candidate, since only one candidate meets this criterion. The same is an employee at AKRK and is currently a replacement for the position of general director.
- The second violation is that AKRK shortlisted the candidates who did not meet the legal criteria (e.g. the general and special criteria, that is, those included in the competition by AKRK). Although the list published by AKRK contains five candidates, based on the results of the preliminary review, CorrWatch has determined that three (3) candidates have met the general criteria, while only one of the candidates has also met the specific criteria defined in the competition.
Due to these serious violations of the law, CorrWatch requested the termination of the recruitment process due to a violation of Article 40, paragraph 5, point 5.1 of Law No. 06-L-114.
The law requires the evaluation of general and specific criteria, which in this case must be met by only one applicant, while the law requires that at least two (2) applicants must successfully pass the selection process.
Connection to electricity
Selajdin Beqa did not hide his support for the Vetëvendosje movement. He was recently photographed in a pre-campaign in Germany alongside that party’s MPs Mefail Bajqinovci and Valon Ramadani.
The photo published by MP Bajqinovci himself raises serious doubts about the politicization of a position that should legally be outside political influence.
Furthermore, it is worrying that the Vetëvendosje movement deputies see no problem in publicly engaging with a person who has been accused of violence and other violations of the law.
This approach undermines the credibility of the current government.
…
Given the charges of violence, violations of the law when applying for a weapons permit, illegal surveillance of employees and manipulation of the recruitment process, it is clear that Selajdin Beqa cannot continue to hold the position of Director General.
Beqa, who according to the civil service law is close to the Vetëvendosje movement, should have been suspended from work at the time of the indictment, but as reported in the media, the head of the competition authority, Neime Binaku, contradicted the law. Not only did he not suspend Beqa, but Beqa was promoted from general manager to general manager even after his colleague was beaten up.
According to the Civil Service Law, Article 69 “Suspension from service”, point 1.5, “a civil servant shall be suspended from service” if “a criminal case has been initiated against the civil servant for the commission of a crime during the performance of his/her duties.” his/her Function”.
The inaction of the relevant institutions to remove Beqa from office sets a dangerous precedent for the integrity of Kosovo’s public institutions.
His removal from office is not only an act of justice, but also a necessary step to restore citizens’ trust in state institutions.
Failure to act in this case would reinforce the impression that the government continues to protect and promote individuals involved in serious violations of the law./Paparaci
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