The municipality of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje spent thousands of euros in constructing and renovating non-functional sports halls that were never used.
In 2020, the municipality of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje signed a contract exceeding 149,000 euros to construct a sports hall in the village of Pomozotin. A 2023 internal audit report revealed that the hall was not used by students and suffered from non-functional heating, leaking ceilings, moldy walls, and poorly installed floor tiles.
The hall was renovated in 2024, however, when KALLXO.com visited in March 2025, the hall was still not in working condition. The building had humidity issues, and no water, heating, or sports equipment.
Similarly, the KALLXO.com team found that the sports hall in the village of Lismir, in the municipality of Fushë Kosovë was not in good condition despite renovations. The sports hall in Lismir was constructed based on a 2019 contract worth over 177,000 euros. It was renovated in 2023 and opened for usage in September 2024 after technical approval.
However, the 2023 auditor’s report found that despite the investment, the hall in Lismir was not used and was in poor condition with non-functional heating, water leakage from the roof, and walls damaged by humidity.
From 2018 to 2020, the municipality of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje allocated nearly 830,000 euros for the construction of six sports halls in various villages. Initial investments appeared substantial, but the quality of these projects was highly questionable and the municipality had to reallocate additional budget for renovation, most of the time before even opening them.
A KALLXO.com investigation based on an internal audit report found that even after renovations in 2023 worth over 313,000 euros, the infrastructure problems remained unresolved.
The internal auditor of the municipality of Fushë Kosovë, Shyqeri Krasniqi, reported his findings regarding the mismanagement of the construction of sports halls and road maintenance which led to a prosecution’s investigation against at least eleven people for mismanagement of public funds. Nine of these individuals being investigated are public officials.
Krasniqi told KALLXO.com that “on February 10, 2023, I sent eleven cases regarding the sports halls to the Prosecutor’s Office. I reported several issues: each hall had defects, was not being used by the public or students, and suffered from severe humidity, water leakage, and damaged toilets.” In total, Krasniqi filed reports on fifty cases in which he found issues.
He explained that he suffered repercussions because “after submitting the cases, I was banned from conducting audits, and my salary was reduced by 20 percent.”
The Prishtina Basic Court, in August 2024, confirmed they initiated investigations in a total of three cases of potential mismanagement based on Krasniqi’s reports, two investigations on sports halls and one on road maintenance. Since then, however, the prosecution has not responded to KALLXO.com queries.
Blame game
The Sports Hall in the village of Lismir, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje Municipality. Photo: BIRN
The municipality of Fushë Kosovë and the contracted companies trade blame when it comes to the lack of good conditions in different sports halls.
Uran Tërnava, director of the Lismiri School in the Lismir village, told KALLXO.com that despite the sports hall being opened after technical acceptance in September 2024, it lacked sports equipment and was still not fully functional.
“The hall is in good condition, and there’s no leakage now, but it lacks necessary sports facilities,” he said.
The sports hall in Miradi e Eperme, built with a 365,000 euro contract signed in 2018, faced heating issues, water leakage, and laminated flooring that resembled waves. The hall, like the others, was not opened for use by students until 2023.
Nonetheless, in March 2025, despite renovations two years prior, the KALLXO.com team found that the hall was still not in use.
Similarly, the Vragoli hall, part of the same contract, faced unresolved issues such as heating and water leakage. Despite being completed in 2021, the hall remains unused by students four years later.
KALLXO.com found that a window had broken and fallen inside the hall, resulting in floor damage.
The sports hall at “Selman Riza” School, which was part of the same construction phase as the Miradi e Eperme and Vragoli halls, also faced numerous defects. It was built in 2018 and later underwent renovation in 2023, but it was never opened for use.
According to internal audit reports from the internal auditor, the hall had non-functional heating, water leaks, and damaged floors. KALLXO.com was unable to gain access to the hall during its visits from June 2024 to March 2025, as the school never received the key.
Both companies responsible for the construction of these halls, such as “Otland Group” and “Seti Commerce,” claim to have just followed the contract.
Representatives from “Otland Group” stated that the technical acceptance was completed and the work followed the project specifications.
Afrim Kolgeci from Otland Group explained that “we did everything according to the project. Yes, there were some issues, but we followed the contract.”
Nisret Bajraktari, from the company “Seti Commerce,” which constructed and renovated the Lismir and Pomozotin halls explained that “we requested the halls be elevated [by 20cm] to avoid water infiltration, but the municipality insisted we follow the project as is.”
The Fushë Kosovë martial arts hall also encountered significant issues despite two contracts, one signed in 2018 for over 127,000 euros and the other in 2020 for nearly 8,000 euros. The 2023 audit report identified issues such as water leakage and the use of laminate flooring instead of rubber flooring. Nonetheless, in March 2025, the KALLXO.com crew observed that the flooring was still laminate and covered by gym mats.
Construction company representatives from “Vetoni” and “Engroup,” responsible for the renovation of the martial arts hall, confirmed that the main issues involved the floor replacements. However, they acknowledged that the buildings were poorly constructed and could not be raised as per the request due to elevation issues.
Ali Topalli, the director of Culture, Youth, and Sports in Fushë Kosovë, defended the condition of the halls, claiming they were in good shape, although equipment installation had been delayed because of procurement procedures.
“The renovation of the halls has been completed according to the contract, and any issues with humidity could be due to condensation from lack of use,” Topalli explained.
Non-transparency by the municipality
Pothole filling on the roads of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje Municipality on 2024 Photo: BIRN
The municipality of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje has declined to provide KALLXO.com with official documents related to the alleged mismanagement of the construction of several sports halls and on-road maintenance, citing ongoing investigations by the prosecution.
In one of the cases that the Basic Prosecution of Prishtina confirmed to KALLXO.com that is under investigation, the municipality of Fushë Kosovë canceled a contract in August 2024, less than one year after it was signed. Fushë Kosovë had signed a contract for road repairs and manhole adjustments with the company “Shkoza 007,” valued at 39,000 euros, in September 2023.
The contract was canceled because the contractor failed to complete the work on time.
Ardit Sekiraqa, the Director of the Public Services Directorate in the Municipality of Fushë Kosovë, told KALLXO.com that “regarding past payments, there was a different director in charge at the time. Information about what was done and how it was done can only be found through the procurement office at the Municipality of Fushë Kosova. However, I can personally guarantee—and I’m willing to give a formal statement—that since I assumed this position, no work has been carried out, and no payments have been made. A new project manager was also appointed when I took the role, and it was this new manager who terminated the contract, as he was not willing to continue the work.”
An internal audit revealed discrepancies in the work done, including incomplete road repairs and unfilled potholes.
Auditor Krasniqi reported these issues to the Prosecutor’s Office, detailing that the contractor had failed to provide necessary documentation, including reports on the work performed.
The company “Shkoza F007,” told KALLXO.com that “nothing happened there; everything is fine,” without elaborating further.
This article was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of BIRN Kosovo and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
This article was prepared in English by Ardita Zeqiri.
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