In a coordinated operation, Kosovo Police, monitored by EULEX and KFOR, raided five branches of Banka Poštanska Štedionica and the Treasury Administration in North Kosovo. The raids were conducted to investigate alleged illegal activities, said the Police. The actions coincided with the disbursement of social benefits by the Serbian government through these institutions, resulting in long queues outside the banks earlier today.
Approximately €1.6 million, 74.7 million dinars, 19,500 Swiss francs, 13,000 US dollars, 40 Australian dollars, and various documents were seized. The raids led to the closure of five branches of Banka Poštanska Štedionica and the Treasury Administration of Serbia’s Ministry of Finance.
The Police also removed signs from the Treasury Administration office in Mitrovica, symbolizing the end of these institutions’ operations in the region.
The situation escalated for a while at the main Poštanska Štedionica branch in Mitrovica, where Police faced protests from employees and local officials. They tried to prevent the Police troops to take their director for an interview with Police.
Kosovo’s Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçla, confirmed the closure of six branches of Banka Poštanska Štedionica, labeling it an illegal Serbian financial institution in Kosovo.
Kosovo Police Deputy Commander for the North Region, Veton Elshani, confirmed the operation’s completion, stating it was based on information about „criminal activities“ within the targeted institutions. The operation involved tax authorities and was conducted under a prosecutor’s warrant.
Serbian government officials, including Petar Petković, condemned the operation, describing it as a violent act targeting Serbian institutions in North Kosovo, rather than merely an effort to remove Serbian dinars. Petković also claimed there were no dinars stored in the branch offices during the operation. Contrary to Petković’s claims, Kosovo Police reported the seizure of significant amounts of money, supported by photographic evidence.
Serbian officials, including Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, accused Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti of perpetuating terror against Serbs in North Kosovo and criticized the international community for inaction, warning of potential destabilization in the Balkans. Srpska Lista Party particularly criticised EULEX and KFOR for being on the spot yet not reacting.
Serbian officials and the largest Serbian party in Kosovo accused Kurti of using the operation as a political maneuver ahead of upcoming elections, calling it part of his campaign strategy.
Amidst heightened tensions, EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák expressed readiness to host further discussions in Brussels to resolve the currency dispute, following seven unsuccessful rounds of talks.
The raids occurred just after the expiration of a three-month transition period for Kosovo’s regulation mandating the euro as the sole official currency. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, meanwhile, departed for New York with the blessing of Patriarch Porfirije in order to make an effort to halt the voting out of the UN GA Resolution Draft on Srebrenica Genocide, as reported by Serbian media.
The coordinated actions by Kosovo authorities have sparked a new wave of controversy and heightened ethnic tensions in the already volatile region of the northern Kosovo.
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