The Prishtina Basic Court sentenced former Kosovo Minister of Trade and Industry, Endrit Shala, to two years in prison after finding him guilty of conflict of interest in a case linked to the appointment of a fuel quality inspection company.

Judge Violeta Namani said the evidence presented during the trial “did not support an abuse of official duty conviction for Shala,” however, the court ruled that there was conflict of interest.

The verdict can be appealed.

The case stems from a 2021 investigation by BIRN and Internews Kosova’s co-publication, KALLXO.com, which revealed that the Ministry of Trade and Industry had authorised a company owned by Valdet Teneqja, Shala’s brother-in-law, to carry out fuel quality inspections in Kosovo.

In 2021, Shala told KALLXO.com that, “the minister’s signature is ceremonial. The commissions and departments carry out the entire process.”

The indictment against Shala was filed in August 2024, following KALLXO.com’s investigation and publication of its findings. According to the indictment, Shala had approved a decision on May 30, 2019, appointing Teneqja’s company, Euro Inspekt, as an inspection body responsible for assessing compliance with fuel quality standards. The decision enabled the company to obtain financial benefits worth more than 732,000 euros.

During the trial, Shala’s defence team requested that his case be separated from proceedings involving former Minister Vesel Krasniqi, as much of the evidence being examined did not concern Shala directly.

Krasniqi, who was indicted alongside Shala, faced separate allegations related to decisions concerning fuel marking services. According to the indictment, Krasniqi, in his capacity as Minister of Trade and Industry, is accused of intentionally and knowingly exceeding his official powers and, without authorization, initiating and implementing legal procedures for the preparation of the Administrative Instruction on the Control and Quality of Liquid Petroleum Fuels, which he approved on November 11, 2020.

The Prosecution claims his actions caused damages of approximately 11 million euros to the state budget.

A KALLXO.com investigation found that the Ministry of Trade and Industry, under Krasniqi’s leadership, had authorised a Swiss company to provide mandatory fuel-marking services in Kosovo under a five-year contract. The arrangement was expected to generate millions of euros in revenue and created a monopoly in the sector.