By Gezim Kasapolli

Slug: There is an old saying you may have heard that everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants die, and in Kosovo everyone wants electricity but no one ever wants to pay for it.

Cut 1. “There is an old saying you may have heard that everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants die, and in Kosovo everyone wants electricity but no one ever wants to pay for it.”

That was Paul Coffey, Director of the Department of Justice during his last press conference before he left the mission after 12 months of duty. The problem of electricity was the last but not the least in the line of issues, which he considered to be of high importance for Kosovans and the international community in Kosovo.

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR,

During the past four and a half years since the conflict, electricity is no doubt one of the most debated issues in Kosovo. But, this winter the power shortages are hardly noticeable in comparison to earlier winters, and people seem to be more or less satisfied with the service provided by the Kosovo Electricity Corporation or KEK.

But what about KEK? Are they satisfied with the payment?

Apparently not… According to KEK officials, there are thousands of individuals and businesses that have deliberately not paid their bills and the non-payment is hurting the daily operations of KEK.

During his final press conference, Paul Coffey announced an initiative to prosecute business and individuals who refuse to pay their bills, even as these same businesses and individuals have a demonstrated ability to pay. Coffey described other perpetrators of nonpayment as having reconnected their electricity illegally, even after KEK technicians have disconnected the business or individual, due to non-payment.

Coffey says it is time to stop these actions and to treat them as criminal:

Cut 2. There are some individuals who have destroyed their meters and some consumers have allegedly harassed and even assaulted KEK employees who were seeking to service meters or install them. The deliberately non-payment of electricity in a significant amount is theft. Theft is a crime.

Although many in Kosovo openly acknowledge they are not paying their monthly electricity bill, these same people also complain when KEK technicians appear at the door to disconnect their power.

Zijadin Gashi, Chief of the KEK Teams sent out to disconnect electricity, knows first hand. Gashi says it is often awkward and sometimes dangerous for his teams when they are sent out to disconnect electricity… his teams have encountered a range of problems and most often people who are angry at the technicians for cutting the power:

Cut 3. we do this job every day. We are always spending our time disconnecting, reconnecting among other duties. There are people who behave decently, however we sometimes have problems. We sometimes face physical confrontations and assaults and other times verbal abuse. However we try to carry on with our work because at the end of the day this is what we are paid to do. We have no other choice since my children depend on what I earn. Seven family members survive with these 200 euros that I earn per month and I have no other source of income, so I have to do this job.

As employees face frequent conflicts when on a job disconnecting power, managers in KEK’s upper echelons say greater coordination between legal institutions in Kosovo and KEK is necessary to provide a framework of payment enforcement and protection of KEK employees.

According to Fatime Ahmeti, Manager of KEK’s network, calls on judicial structures in Kosovo to impose more radical measures than what currently exist, for those who refuse to pay or steal the electricity:

Cut 4 We need help from the courts in order to treat theft of electricity like all other thefts and the person who misuses or steals electricity to be punished like every other thief.

…and his according to the outgoing Director of the Department of Justice, Paul Coffey, legal institutions will now impose new rules and those who don’t pay will face criminal charges. Coffey says the initiative will start with a few obvious offenders:

Cut 5: The department of Justice in association with KEK and KTA and other UNMIK organizations will start to bring criminal charges before International Judges for some business and individuals who represent the most egregious examples of what I just described, there are hotels, that owe 8.000 euros or more, there are restaurants that owe 8.000 euros or more these are ongoing profitable business, there is a constructional company that owes 12.000 euros, and there is a factory that owes 17.000 euros if these business don’t pay and pay properly they will receive a visit from an International Prosecutor and Judge.

Coffey says with only 12 international prosecutors it is not possible to go after all electricity offenders. Coffey says he hopes that local authorities will soon follow the lead of the international prosecutors to enforce these new mandates and to reign in non-payment. Coffey also acknowledged that in the past UNMIK and KFOR have been slow to pay their own KEK bills, but have made payment arrangements with KEK to avoid criminal charge.

And that is all for this edition of UNMIK on air… thanks for listening and stay tuned for more….