A Kosovar minister has been charged by the International War Crimes Court in the former Yugoslavia with bullying a witness in the trial of one of Kosovo's former leaders.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) charged culture minister Astrit Araqija and his adviser Bajrush Morina with contempt of court. The two were supporters of former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj who was acquitted of war crimes at the court this month.

The charge dates to January 8 2008 but was only made public on April 25. Charges against the two relate to events from last July and August when the politicians tried in vain to convince an anonymous witness not to appear in court.  Authorities had apparently recorded conversations indicating that Morina even travelled to the witness's country of residence, at the ministry of culture's expense.

Haradinaj, 39, was being sought for the murder, torture and rape of Serbs and opponents in an alleged campaign of "ethnic cleansing" during the Kosovo war of 1998-1999, when he headed the Kosovo Liberation Army.
He was acquitted on April 3 for lack of evidence in a trial at which several witnesses refused to testify.

His acquittal angered Serbs with prime minister Vojislav Kostunica saying that the ICTY had "ridiculed justice".
Haradinaj, hailed by some Kosovars as a hero, was the highest ranking ex-leader of Kosovo to have been formally charged by the ICTY.

The prosecutor had called for Haradinaj and his two accomplices to serve a 25-year prison term.
Kosovo made a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in February.