On Friday, the Basic Court of Prishtina acquitted Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj, Endrit Shala, Shpetim Telaki, Nexhat Krasniqi and Florim Zuka of organized crime, abuse of official position and authority and accepting bribes.

Limaj, who was Minister of Transport, Post and Telecomunications at the time, was accused, among other things, of manipulating tender procedures, giving and receiving bribes and obstructing evidence in relation to three tenders put out by the ministry between 2008 and 2010.

The judges’ panel, headed by a judge from the EU rule-of-law mission, EULEX, Judge Maria Tuma, said that “the accused have been acquitted because it has not been proven that they have committed the acts for which they have been charged.”

Two indictments were raised against Limaj and the others in 2012 and 2014, which later were consolidated in 2015.

Read the full story on Balkan Insight.