RTK board member Driton Hetemi has been appointed as the new director of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund, KEEF, an institution responsible for managing significant financial resources to implement large investment projects in the field of energy efficiency. 

Among 14 candidates, Hetemi was interviewed by a commission chaired by his former colleague from a private company where they had previously worked together, Alban Nevzati.

However, Hetemi was not considered a viable candidate by the British experts who assisted public institutions in the recruitment process.

According to the British experts, out of the 14 candidates who met the criteria and were interviewed on September 12, only two were deemed successful. The first candidate was Burim Leci who scored 25.5 out of a total of 40 points, and Arben Avdyli ranked second with 23 points. Leci ranked 4th in the local evaluation and Avdyli ranked second.

As per the British experts’ practice from previous competitions, candidates rated below 20 points, with less than half of the total points, are considered unqualified, as was the case of Driton Hetemi.*

According to the results of the local commission, Driton Hetemi was ranked first, with only 0.4 points more than Arben Avdyli, who was ranked second.

The ranking according to the results of the local commission is as follows: 1. Driton Hetemi (27.8 points), 2. Arben Avdyli (27.4 points), 3. Artor Berdyna (25.6 points), 4. Burim Leci (24.2 points), 5. Riza Spanca (22.4 points), 6. Ilir Rama (21 points), 7. Arton Ahmeti (18.4 points), 7. Neshat Shala (18.4 points), 9. Mahir Blaku (19.4 points), 10. Fatmir Gerguri (15.2 points), 11. Izet Çelaj (14.8 points), 12. Bashkim Bajrami (12 points), 13. Bashkim Ibrahimi (11.8 points), 14. Agron Sylqa (9.8 points).

BIRN has requested a comment from KEEF regarding the results published by the British experts, but they declined to comment.

“As a result of this evaluation and selection process, Driton Hetemi received the most points from the five members of the evaluation commission. After compiling the final list, in which Driton Hetemi was ranked first, the proposal for the appointment of the Managing Director has been forwarded to the Board of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund, who with a majority vote appointed Driton Hetemi as the Managing Director of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund for a 3-year term,” KEEF declared to BIRN.

BIRN has also sought clarification from KEEF regarding the relationship between the chairperson of the Commission, Alban Nevzati, and Driton Hetemi, as they were former colleagues in the Swinto company. KEEF confirmed that they had both worked at Swinto but are no longer associated with the company.

Hetemi has been a member of the RTK board since December 2021. He stated that, according to a response from the Anti-Corruption Agency, he is entitled to hold both positions simultaneously, but in the position of the RTK board member, he is not entitled to receive financial compensation.

“The first limitation specifies that a senior official cannot be a member of more than one governing body of other public institutions. Therefore, the senior official (in this case, the Managing Director of KEEF) is entitled to be a member of only one (but not more than one) governing body of other public institutions (in this case, a member of the RTK Board). The second limitation states that the senior official (Managing Director of KEEF), in the capacity of a member of the governing body of other public institutions (RTK), is not entitled to receive financial compensation, except for the right to reimbursement of travel expenses and related expenses,” Hetemi emphasized, referring to a response he received from the Anti-Corruption Agency.

The competition for the director of the Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund was open from August 1, 2023, until August 21, 2023. A total of 34 candidates applied for this competition. During the review of applications, the Commission assessed that 14 candidates met the criteria.

The local evaluation commission for the position of Managing Director of the KEEF was composed of five people: Alban Nevzati as the chairman, and four other members, Leonita Shabani Mullarama, Nora Arifi, Sadri Rrmoku, and Visar Hoxha.

Prior to Hetemi’s appointment, Ahmet Ismaili had been at the helm of this fund, but he was appointed as the Governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo on June 14, 2023, and had previously served as the Director of the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance.

The Kosovo Energy Efficiency Fund was established with the adoption of the Energy Efficiency Law in 2018. KEEF, as an institution, aims to achieve the objectives of the Republic of Kosovo in energy efficiency by promoting, supporting, and implementing energy efficiency measures, as well as attracting and managing financial resources to finance and implement investment projects in the field of energy efficiency.

*BIRN could not provide the exact number of points Hetemi received from the British experts, as the results were only published for the candidates who had passed the threshold of appointability, namely 20 points or higher.