B92’s Insider backs up allegations with evidence

BELGRADE All the information made public in Insider series dubbed Patriotic Pillage has been confirmed by official documents of competent institutions. Nobody has so far tried to deny any information released by B92’s Insider program. In the continuation of the series, the Insider team will reveal how they obtained numerous pieces of evidence that back the key information released in the first four episodes. B92’s Insider backs up allegations with evidence The Patriotic Pillage series was prepared for more than a year. During this time, the Insider team investigated and checked hundreds of pieces of information, gathered several thousands of authentic documents, filmed dozens of hours worth of material and held more than a hundred meetings with representatives of all institutions that had to do with Kosovo and with people for whom the funds were intended. Those people and their entire families today live in inhumane conditions because the money that was intended for them was taken by somebody else, who was all along hiding behind patriotism. Among other things, Insider has learnt that Serbia has spent at least EUR 2.8mn on Kosovo in the past 12 years. This means that Serbia appropriates an average of EUR 650,000 for Kosovo every day. The data was collected from various Serbian ministries, agencies, funds and public companies that could have expenses in Kosovo. The Insider team sent a separate request to each ministry. However, not a single one of them provided complete and detailed data. Such attitude of the ministries has shown that not even representatives of the state institutions have precise records of how much money is spent on Kosovo or who really receives the money. In order to determine the exact amount of the money that is allocated for Kosovo, the Insider team also acquired all other publicly available information. The team analyzed all budgets and final accounts of all previous government, gathered information from previous similar projects and used databases of certain agencies and funds. EUR 650,000 a day is the smallest figure reached through analyses of the available data. The Insider team completely excluded money allocated from the National Investment Plan because it was impossible to determine whether these funds had been included in their expenses. The biggest part of the money is given for salaries in the oversized administrative system that only serves to prove that Kosovo is still a part of Serbia. At the same time, many workers receive a second wage from the Kosovo budget. Insider has discovered that more than 1,300 northern Kosovo Serbs receive salaries from the Kosovo budget. The Insider team reveals that leaders of Kosovo Serbs and representatives of almost all political parties receive salaries from both Belgrade and Pristina. In order to do this, the team compared payrolls with electoral rolls in northern Kosovo that contain dates of birth of all eligible voters. The B92’s investigative program also discovered that a project for reconstruction of houses damaged in an earthquake in 2002 was worth EUR 16mn. In order to investigate how the citizens’ money was spent, Insider obtained original receipts for the entire construction material that was bought to reconstruct the damaged homes. However, the Insider team reveals that the money was not spent the way it was planned. The reporters visited several villages in the Kosovsko Pomoravlje District and interviewed witnesses who said that they had been forced to sign that their houses had been completed even though they had not been. EUR 14mn was spent for the purchase of apartments from ethnic Albanians in northern Kosovo. In order to collect all the information, Insider requested from the Serbian government, Ministry for Kosovo, Kosovska Mitrovica District and the Property Directorate information about all apartments that were purchased from Albanians from 2003 until today. The information shows that certain apartments were bought for EUR 900 per square meter. The next episode of the Patriotic Pillage series will be aired this Monday at 21:00 CET on B92 TV. B92

B92’s Insider backs up allegations with evidence

The Patriotic Pillage series was prepared for more than a year. During this time, the Insider team investigated and checked hundreds of pieces of information, gathered several thousands of authentic documents, filmed dozens of hours worth of material and held more than a hundred meetings with representatives of all institutions that had to do with Kosovo and with people for whom the funds were intended.

Those people and their entire families today live in inhumane conditions because the money that was intended for them was taken by somebody else, who was all along hiding behind patriotism.

Among other things, Insider has learnt that Serbia has spent at least EUR 2.8mn on Kosovo in the past 12 years. This means that Serbia appropriates an average of EUR 650,000 for Kosovo every day.

The data was collected from various Serbian ministries, agencies, funds and public companies that could have expenses in Kosovo.

The Insider team sent a separate request to each ministry. However, not a single one of them provided complete and detailed data. Such attitude of the ministries has shown that not even representatives of the state institutions have precise records of how much money is spent on Kosovo or who really receives the money.

In order to determine the exact amount of the money that is allocated for Kosovo, the Insider team also acquired all other publicly available information.

The team analyzed all budgets and final accounts of all previous government, gathered information from previous similar projects and used databases of certain agencies and funds.

EUR 650,000 a day is the smallest figure reached through analyses of the available data. The Insider team completely excluded money allocated from the National Investment Plan because it was impossible to determine whether these funds had been included in their expenses.

The biggest part of the money is given for salaries in the oversized administrative system that only serves to prove that Kosovo is still a part of Serbia.

At the same time, many workers receive a second wage from the Kosovo budget.

Insider has discovered that more than 1,300 northern Kosovo Serbs receive salaries from the Kosovo budget.

The Insider team reveals that leaders of Kosovo Serbs and representatives of almost all political parties receive salaries from both Belgrade and Priština.

In order to do this, the team compared payrolls with electoral rolls in northern Kosovo that contain dates of birth of all eligible voters.

The B92’s investigative program also discovered that a project for reconstruction of houses damaged in an earthquake in 2002 was worth EUR 16mn. In order to investigate how the citizens’ money was spent, Insider obtained original receipts for the entire construction material that was bought to reconstruct the damaged homes.

However, the Insider team reveals that the money was not spent the way it was planned. The reporters visited several villages in the Kosovsko Pomoravlje District and interviewed witnesses who said that they had been forced to sign that their houses had been completed even though they had not been.

EUR 14mn was spent for the purchase of apartments from ethnic Albanians in northern Kosovo.

In order to collect all the information, Insider requested from the Serbian government, Ministry for Kosovo, Kosovska Mitrovica District and the Property Directorate information about all apartments that were purchased from Albanians from 2003 until today. The information shows that certain apartments were bought for EUR 900 per square meter.

The next episode of the Patriotic Pillage series will be aired this Monday at 21:00 CET on B92 TV.