Kilaj and Kuçi declare their innocence before the Special Court

2024-12-09 20:58:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kilaj and Kuçi declare their innocence before the Special Court

Isni Kilaj in the first appearance before the Special Court

The former Minister of Justice of Kosovo, Hajredin Kuçi, and the former mayor of Malisheva, Isni Kilaj, have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face, in their first separate appearances before the Special Court on Monday.

Kuçi faces two charges of disobeying the court, while Kilaj is accused of influencing witnesses.

The defense side said that it will not try to convince the judge why it was wrong to ask for Kilaj's arrest, but added that Kilaj has shown that he is a good candidate for parole.

The former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, the former minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuçi, the former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Bashkim Smakaj, and Fadil Fazliu are part of the indictment.

Thaçi and Smakaj did not plead the day before for the charges against them, while Fazliu and Kuçi pleaded not guilty.

The accused before the Specialized Chambers have a deadline of 30 days to declare about the charges.

The Special Court is an institution that operates according to the laws of Kosovo, but its seat is in The Hague, Netherlands.

Kilaj, Smakaj and Fazliu were arrested on December 5, and a day later they were sent to the detention center in The Hague.

A summons has been issued to Ku?i to appear before the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, based in The Hague.

In the new indictment, Thaçi is charged with three charges of attempting to obstruct official persons in the performance of official duties, by participating in the joint action of a group; four charges of breaching the confidentiality of proceedings, and four charges of disobeying the court.

Fazliu, Smakaj and Kilaj are accused of attempting to obstruct official persons in the performance of their official duties, by participating in the joint action of a group, and of disobeying the court.

Kuçi faces two charges of disobeying the court.

Kuçi considers the indictment as an "affect of dignity"
Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Justice of Kosovo, Hajredin Kuçi, pleaded not guilty in his first appearance earlier in the day.

"I am completely innocent. Today is one of the darkest moments for me as a man of justice, who has a profession and a mission all his life, and I have been identified with justice", said Kuçi in his speech before the court, adding that he considers the indictment as "touching dignity".

"I will continue justice as a profession and mission from today, even in another position, but still in function of it and the values ??I have identified. I am sorry for the worries that this accusation has caused my family members", said Kuçi, among other things.

"I have not committed any criminal offense. I am innocent and I have every confidence that I will be acquitted of the charges. I am in the indictment with the president, Hashim Thaçi. Let me say that I have Hashim as a friend, we have known each other for many years and we have worked together for a long time. We worked and led on the principle of justice, respecting it and we believed in justice".

The prosecution has said that later in the day it will request that Kuci be prohibited from communicating with the persons who are part of the indictment, and other persons who are suspected to be related to the case.

The judge of the preliminary procedure, Marjorie Masselot, has said that she will make a decision after submitting the request.

Thaçi is accused of coordinating "three separate groups" together with Smakaj, Kilaj, Kuçi and Fazliu to influence the testimonies of the Prosecution's witnesses in the case against him and others for war crimes.

The indictment claims that criminal offenses against the administration of justice were committed from April 12, 2023 to November 2 of the same year, during non-privileged visits to the detention facility in The Hague between Thaçi and other accused persons.

The Specialized Chambers of Kosovo have so far announced two verdicts for obstruction in the administration of justice.

Two former figures of the KLA Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, have been convicted for obstructing justice until now.

Meanwhile, the Special Court has also pronounced two verdicts for war crimes.

The Special Court was established in 2015 by the Assembly of Kosovo and is part of the judicial system of Kosovo, but operates with international personnel and is headquartered in The Hague.

The Specialized Chambers and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office - also known as the Special Court - investigate alleged crimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, committed against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000.

The fear of witness intimidation was one of the reasons why this Kosovo court is located in The Hague and not in Pristina, "taking into account that it is about sensitive issues and the fact that some of the suspects in certain parts of Kosovar society can be considered as freedom fighters", it was said in the communiqué of the Government of the Netherlands, issued as early as 2016, when it was decided for this court./REL