The Minister of Justice after being interviewed by the Special Prosecutor's Office: There is an open attempt to obstruct justice reforms

2024-07-23 22:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Minister of Justice after being interviewed by the Special Prosecutor's

Minister of Justice in Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu

The Minister of Justice in Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, on Tuesday accused the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo of trying to obstruct the work of the ministry she leads.

She made these comments after being interviewed for the second time by the Special Prosecutor's Office in order to clarify her statements about the work of the judiciary and escapes from Kosovo prisons.

"I have continuously mentioned that there is an open attempt by the justice system to obstruct justice reforms. They were against vetting, they were against justice reform, that's why I have seen that they have continuously tried to misuse the powers they have to stop me through their continuous invitations" , she said.

On Saturday, July 20, in a long post on Facebook, Minister Haxhiu raised allegations that the Serbian authorities had a hand in the escape of some convicts from Kosovo prisons. The post states that "at least in some cases, these escapes are incited, organized and facilitated by criminal groups connected to power structures in the territory of Serbia".

"This situation could have ended differently, I am the Minister of Justice, so I lead a ministry within the Kosovo government, and after my reaction on the Facebook social network, it was right to invite me within the framework of institutional cooperation. However, their efforts with the authorization of the police in the capacity of a witness to be interviewed, show a lot about the approach they have but also about the motives they may have", said Mrs. Haxhiu.

Her post was made a day after the authorities in Serbia announced that the suspect in the murder of a Serbian policeman and the wounding of another on July 18 near the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina had been killed.

The Serbian authorities said that the person killed is Faton Hajrizi, who escaped from a prison in Kosovo on July 6.

Authorities say that since 2007, 56 people have escaped from Kosovo's prisons.

The Government of Kosovo and the Prosecutorial and Judicial Council of Kosovo have continuously exchanged mutual criticism.

The Kosovo government has on several occasions criticized the justice system for slow work and inaction in cases such as fighting crime, prosecuting war crimes and investigating events such as the attack on September 24 last year - when a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in the village of Banjské in the north of the country, killing one officer and injuring two others.

The Prosecution Council and the Judicial Council of Kosovo have strongly condemned such statements, evaluating them as attempts to "interfere in their independent work".

A report by the Kosovo Institute for Justice on political interference in justice states that "the statements of the prime minister, members of the government and members of parliament about when the prosecution should be active, why in certain cases it does not initiate cases, why the courts give low sentences or delays in issuing judgments are not their religious responsibility" emphasizing that such statements undermine citizens' trust in the justice system./ Voa