Del Ponte wants Kosovo organ case

1 March 2011 Source: Tanjug

ZURICH -- Ex-Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla del Ponte she would like to investigate the case of organ trafficking in Kosovo. Carla Del Ponte (FoNet, file) She told Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung that she believed an independent international institution should be established to conduct the investigation. "An independent international institution should be created to conduct the investigation and protect the witnesses," Del Ponte responded when asked what needs to be done following the report on organ trafficking by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty. "For me personally, it would be a challenge to head the investigation in Kosovo," Del Ponte said and added that she "sees no one has thought of that". "I have a good knowledge of the casefiles, and I also have connections and could carry out the investigation quickly," said the former Hague chief prosecutor. She assessed that it remains to be seen how strong the political will is in this matter, and noted that the EU and the U.S. should help with the investigation. Asked if she did the right thing in making serious accusations without the necessary evidence, Del Ponte said that the evidence was insufficient for an indictment but that the indications were serious. "I mentioned the organ trafficking in my book so that someone could start the investigation we were not able to," Del Ponte said. The Marty report alleges that ethnic Albanian KLA was involved in organized crime and atrocities committed against Serb civialians in Kosovo, including their kindappings and trafficking in their body parts.