A MAN known as “the boss of bosses” in Kosovo’s organised crime is living in Ireland.
Enver Sekiraqa (37) has been living in the southeast but has not been extradited because there is no extradition agreement between the Republic and Kosovo, and the European arrest warrant mechanism does not cover Kosovo.
However, a request from the authorities in Kosovo to assist in returning him for trial there has been received by the Irish authorities.
Senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Justice have been in talks with the Attorney General’s office in an effort to devise some legal mechanism to return him to Kosovo for trial.
Mr Sekiraqa has appeared on Interpol’s wanted listed and is the alleged head of an ethnic Albanian crime gang. He has allegedly been involved in organised crime for a number of years.
He is wanted for questioning in Kosovo in relation to those activities, including involvement in the sex trade, and for questioning about the murder of a police officer. Garda sources have told The Irish Timesthey are aware of Mr Sekiraqa's presence in the Republic and are aware he is wanted in Kosovo.
It is unclear when the 37-year-old moved here but it is understood he has been living for some time in the Wexford and Waterford areas.
Born in Pristina in November 1973, he formerly had Yugoslavian nationality but is now Serbian. He speaks Albanian and Serbian.
His entry on Interpol’s most wanted list says an arrest warrant was issued for him by the UN Mission in Kosovo, which was established to govern Kosovo after the wars in the Balkans. Interpol also says he is wanted for questioning about “crimes against life and health, organised crime, transnational crime, sex crimes, thefts”.
Mr Sekiraqa is wanted for questioning about the murder of a young police officer in August 2007 that prompted public demonstrations against organised crime.
Triumf Riza, a 29-year-old member of Kosovo’s elite police protection wing, was shot dead on a street in Pristina as he was about to get into his car.
He worked protecting VIPs and international visitors to Kosovo. He is believed to have been offered bribes and when he refused was attacked.
He was the target of two murder attempts, during the second of which he fired on his attackers. He came to public prominence after that incident because he was seen by many as having taken a stand against organised crime in Kosovo.
However, on August 30th, 2007, he was shot dead. Thousands of people joined public protests against organised crime and bribery after his murder.
One person has since been convicted of the killing.