Pristina, 26 March 2025 – The Kosovo Law Institute (KLI) considers the decision of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo to appoint Irfan Lipovica as General Director of the Accreditation Directorate in the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade to be concerning and unacceptable.
Lipovica is one of the suspects involved in the case known as the “State Reserves”, one of the most serious alleged cases of public fund mismanagement in 2023. While presuming innocence, it must be emphasized that the promotion of officials involved in this case contradicts the principles of good governance and undermines the need to protect institutional credibility.
Regarding the State Reserves case, where Lipovica is a suspect, good governance standards require cooperation between the Ministry and the justice system institutions. In the face of corruption allegations related to the State Reserves, Minister Rozeta Hajdari did not make efforts to cooperate with judicial institutions to clarify the case. Instead, she unlawfully accused the Police regarding the collection of evidence. These attacks on the justice system were furthered by the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
Without awaiting a verdict from judicial authorities, Minister Hajdari expressed her position regarding Lipovica’s innocence. Beyond defending him, Lipovica was promoted, being appointed as General Director of the Accreditation Directorate in the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade.
KLI considers this decision a violation of the principles of good governance and believes it sends a wrong message to the public, undermining trust in state institutions and seriously damaging standards of good governance and integrity in the civil service. The promotion of Lipovica follows the dismissal of an official who had reported abuses related to the State Reserves. This situation sends a signal of promoting individuals suspected of involvement in the “State Reserves” affair while retaliating against whistleblowers.
To uphold the principles of good governance, KLI calls on the Government of Kosovo to immediately reconsider this decision and establish clear and uncompromising standards for high-level appointments, ensuring that such appointments reflect the principles of good governance and maintain public trust in state institutions.