Ex-KLA questioned, released

17 March 2011 | 10:41 | Source: B92

PRIŠTINA -- EULEX has released former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Fatmir Limaj who was arrested last night for war crimes committed in the village of Klečka. Fatmir Limaj (FoNet, file) EULEX should make an announcement regarding Limaj later today. Limaj, former Kosovo transport minister and current deputy leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) turned himself in to the EULEX police last night at his home in Čaglavica near Priština. He told reporters as he was leaving the house that he was "proud he took part in the war and in building Kosovo after the war." Limaj also said he would answer to judicial bodies even though he believed they were wrong. His arrest followed after yesterday's arrest of former KLA members in Prizren and other towns in Kosovo. After two-hour questioning the former KLA commander was released. According to the media, the judicial proceeding will continue in the next several days. “We have responded to the court subpoena and came to EULEX, Limaj said he would cooperate with the judiciary. He is going back home, to his family now,” Limaj’s attorney Tom Gashi stated. The former KLA commander had already been put on trial in the Hague Tribunal but he was acquitted. B92 has learned that even though Limaj had been acquitted by the Hague Tribunal, the domestic prosecution has a court permission to conduct an investigation into the Klečka camp and one more locality. Serbian War Crimes Prosecution has welcomed EULEX’s effort regarding investigation into the crimes committed against non-Albanians in Kosovo. Their latest operation is a result of a good cooperation between EULEX and Belgrade prosecutors who have been conducting the investigation into the events in the two KLA camps which were commanded by Limaj for three years now.