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OSCE: The justice system in Kosovo, deficiencies in the treatment of corruption and organized crime

2024-06-05 17:24:43, Kosova & Bota CNA

OSCE: The justice system in Kosovo, deficiencies in the treatment of corruption

The mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe drew attention on Wednesday for the high rate of acquittal of those accused of involvement in cases related to corruption and organized crime. A report by this organization states that 75 percent of high-profile cases related to these phenomena take more than 24 months, from the filing of the indictment to the issuing of the final judgment.

The data includes a 3-year observation period of 38 cases of corruption and 14 cases of organized crime in Kosovo. According to the report, only in 16 cases there was a final verdict.

“Unproductive hearings are the main cause of delays in dealing with high profile corruption and organized crime cases with 30 per cent of monitored hearings being either unproductive or adjourned. Progress in terms of the efficiency of judicial processes follows a sporadic and unpredictable pattern," said project manager Kahramon Sanginov.

He emphasized that in 60 percent of unproductive sessions the main reason is the lack of presence of one or more involved parties, while he emphasized the low level of sanctions and procedural tools that ensure the presence of the parties.

Mr. Sanginov said that the lack of transparency and impartiality in judicial processes are other challenges highlighted in the report.

"Including the lack of a reliable system of notification of court hearings, inconsistent publication of court decisions and poor responses to civil society requests for information. In 15 monitored cases, judges and prosecutors have made inappropriate comments that endanger impartiality and the presumption of innocence," he said.

The overall rate of acquittals for corruption and organized crime is 76 percent, Mr. Sanginov said.

"The verdicts of acquittal have been pronounced in 9 out of 12 cases of high profile corruption, representing 75 percent. 81 percent of defendants facing corruption charges have been acquitted. "Three out of four organized crime cases involving charges related to drug trafficking resulted in convictions, but 75 percent of defendants facing organized crime charges have been acquitted," he said.

The head of the mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Michael Davenport, said that although in recent years there have been some positive developments in the treatment of corruption and organized crime, Kosovo continues to face numerous challenges in the fight against these phenomena.

He emphasized that those who commit such crimes must face justice because without true accountability the credibility of the justice system is called into question.

"Polls of public perception in the region, including Kosovo, reveal a lack of confidence in the judiciary, and respondents express doubts about the ability of judges and prosecutors to hold corrupt officials accountable. These doubts are definitely fueled by the data showing high acquittal rates in cases related to corruption and organized crime here in Kosovo. There is also widespread frustration about the slow pace of justice reform and the lack of accessible and transparent information on these cases," said Mr. Davenport.

The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said that efforts are being made to bring Kosovo closer to the European average in the fight against organized crime and corruption within the mandate of the current government.

"During these three years we have worked with dedication, we have addressed all the time and potential we had in the justice reform and in the fight against organized crime and corruption. There are achievements, there are positive results, but I am aware that there is still a lot of work to be done, and here, even today, I invite the justice system to be together in the fight against these negative phenomena, because it is important for the citizens of our country that Kosovo be a state of of law, so that all citizens are equal and no one is above the law" , she said.

The report of the mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe offers recommendations aimed at improving the work of the justice system in dealing with organized crime and corruption.

In the report for 2023, the organization Transparency International said that the state of corruption in Kosovo has not changed from the previous year, scoring 41 points in the Corruption Perceptions Index and ranking 83rd among 180 countries that are analyzed in the annual report. of this organization./ VOA