Kosovo appoints fugitive from Serbia as constitutional court judge

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has appointed a judge who fled from Serbia to Kosovo to avoid a prison sentence for corruption to serve on the constitutional court, the president's office said.

Nominated by ethnic Serb lawmakers, ethnic Serb Radomir Laban was approved by a vote in parliament in May but Thaci was urged by the opposition and a justice watchdog not to appoint him before all the security checks were done.