PRISTINA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Kosovo's state-owned post and telecom firm PTK resigned on Monday as the government looks to revive the sale of the impoverished country's most profitable company and top up next year's budget.
The last attempt to sell the company collapsed in October when one of the last two bidders -- Croatian telecom group T-HT <HT.ZA> -- pulled out over a corruption scandal that has engulfed senior PTK management.
PTK Chief Executive Shyqyri Haxha and Board Chairman Rexhe Gjonbalaj have been charged with "entering into harmful contracts, abuse of official position and misuse of economic authorisation."
Their trial has yet to start.
In a statement, PTK said Haxha had been "forced to announce his resignation from the position."
The statement added only that Haxha was facing "obstacles in realising his vision for the development of the corporation."
Haxha's three-year contract was due to expire on Dec. 15.
The government of Kosovo, a landlocked Balkan territory which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, has already pencilled 300 million euros ($405 million) from the predicted sale of PTK into the country's 2012 budget.
Parliament approved the budget last week.
Kosovo is struggling to attract investors to its small market of 1.7 million people, where organised crime and corruption are rife and tensions persist between the ethnic Albanian majority and Serb minority. ($1 = 0.739 Euros)
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Matt Robinson; Editing by David Holmes)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
