EULEX Warns of “Never-Ending Travel“ Through Kosovo’s Justice System: 24 High-Profile Cases Still Stalled

Despite repeated institutional promises to reform the judiciary, as many as 24 high-profile criminal cases — including several under EULEX’s jurisdiction — continue to move forward with minimal or no progress, according to the Mission’s eighth annual Justice Monitoring Report. In a number of these cases, no final verdict has been delivered even after 10, 15 or more than 20 years, with some proceedings now entering a third retrial. EULEX warns that these long-term failures point to a systemic problem that undermines the credibility of Kosovo’s justice system and erodes public confidence in institutions, while several defendants remain at large.

According to the report, Kosovo’s judiciary continues to sink into delays and inefficiency. Of 478 monitored hearings in high-profile cases, 35 percent were cancelled or unproductive. At the same time, threats against prosecutors — often originating from political circles — have become epidemic, while police actions targeting “hate speech” raise concerns about the shrinking space for free expression, particularly for Serbs and other minority communities.

The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) published the November 2025 edition of its Justice Monitoring Report, warning of limited progress in key areas of Kosovo’s criminal justice sector, with particular focus on ethnically sensitive cases and the situation of the Serbian community, especially in the north.

Covering the period from November 2024 to September 2025 — and relevant events outside this timeframe — the report draws on monitoring of approximately 400 cases, involving data from the police, prosecution, courts, bar associations and civil society.
EULEX Head of Mission Giovanni Pietro Barbano stressed the risks of punitive approaches against free expression:

“A punitive approach towards what can be considered manifestations of freedom of expression risks harming public trust in the institutions, especially among non-majority communities. Therefore, a sensible approach by the authorities, based on constructive engagement and dialogue with all segments of society, remains essential.”

Despite institutional efforts, the Mission concludes that no significant improvements have been made since the previous annual report.

24 High-Profile Cases: Years of Delays, Repeated Trials, Missing Defendants

Among the cases with minimal progress is the “Olympia” case, involving the 2004 killing of a UNMIK staff member. A first-instance verdict was issued only in 2023, with one defendant convicted and another acquitted. The case remains before the Court of Appeals, which by July 2025 had still not issued a final decision — 21 years after the crime and eight years after the indictment.

The “City Club” case — a 2010 nightclub murder in Pec — follows a similar pattern. Although the indictment was filed in 2017, and after two verdicts and one acquittal, the Court of Appeals overturned the acquittal in 2024 and imposed a 24-year sentence. In February 2025, the Supreme Court again annulled the verdict, sending the case into a third trial.

In the Enver Sekiraqa case, where a police officer was murdered 17 years ago, a 25-year sentence was issued in a second retrial in 2024. However, the presiding judge was later suspended for a procedural error, and the defendant disappeared — and remains at large — while the appeal is pending.

The trial for the 2018 murder of Oliver Ivanović began in 2021. A verdict against four of the six defendants was issued on 28 June 2024. Frequent hearing interruptions slowed the process, while the written judgment was delivered only in May 2025. The case is now in the appeals phase.

The 2019 Turkish deportation case, which concerns the illegal removal of six Turkish nationals, resulted in a 2023 sentence of 4 years and 8 months for the former KIA director, while others were acquitted. The Court of Appeals returned the case for retrial in December 2024, and proceedings resumed in February 2025.

The long-delayed “Veterans” case, involving abuse of office by 12 members of a Kosovo commission, saw five failed trial attempts before a retrial finally began in October 2023. On 14 July 2025, ten defendants were sentenced to one year imprisonment; the written judgment remains pending.

Cases involving corruption in infrastructure projects show a similar pattern:
– “Skopje Highway”: A first-instance verdict was issued in 2024 for former minister Pal Lekaj and others; the Court of Appeals ordered a retrial in February 2025, which began in July.

– Brezovica I and II: The first had a verdict issued on 4 July 2025; the second experienced a near-total halt between January and June 2025.
Other stalled cases include:

– “Hospital Escape” (part of Drenica I), inactive for years;

– “Land 4”, which was entirely unproductive between 2019–2022 and again stalled in 2025;

– Salih Qitaku et al., an organized-migration case with no progress since 2017 and three defendants under international warrants;

– “Touareg”, involving 41 defendants and transferred to the Basic Court in Pristina in 2024 with no substantive movement;

– “Transport”, with 28 defendants, concluded with mixed verdicts on 1 July 2025;

– “Circuit/Qarku”, where only two unsuccessful trial attempts have occurred since February 2024;

– Fahredin Gashi, a war-crimes suspect whose case was suspended in 2025 due to health issues;

– “Bill Clinton II”, tied to a 2007 explosion, slowly progressing since late 2024;

– “Blue”, concerning the 2013 murder of EULEX police officer Audrius Šenavičius, with searches conducted in northern Kosovo in October 2025 while the investigation continues.
High-Profile Cases Ending in Acquittals

Several significant cases ended with acquittals:

– “Medicus” (2010 organ-trafficking): both defendants acquitted in a second retrial in June 2023; appeal pending.

– “Gjilane Highway” (2021): all defendants acquitted in 2024; the Court of Appeals upheld the decision in July 2025.

– “Grande I & II” (organized migration and fake visas), including 20 defendants such as Uk Rugova, produced a series of acquittals between 2023–2024; appeals remain ongoing, but most verdicts have been upheld.

– “Avanci” (health-sector abuse, 2020): both defendants acquitted in May 2025.

– “Olympus I” (illegal land ownership): nine acquitted, seven convicted on 26 December 2024.

– “Stenta II, II.1, II.2 & III” (corruption and healthcare abuse): a series of acquittals between 2023–2025, all confirmed by the Court of Appeals in September 2025.

EULEX Conclusion: A “Never-Ending Travel” Through Kosovo’s Courts

EULEX concludes that no substantive progress has been made since the 2024 report. The system remains dominated by repeated trials — some now in their third iteration — unproductive hearings, significant delays in issuing written judgments, missing defendants, and cases that remain stuck in the “first step” for a decade or more.

This “never-ending travel” through Kosovo’s judicial system, the Mission warns, directly weakens public trust, especially among non-majority communities.