Minister Tahiri said that he is satisfied that the transformation of criminal justice is being concluded within the implementation of the joint agenda “Justice 2020”.

According to Minister Tahiri, out of the 547 articles in the Code, 220 of them have been reviewed and harmonized with the highest principles of an effective and fair legal system, focusing on amendments that will enable the fight against organized crime and corruption. Among the fundamental changes, Minister Tahiri mentioned the suspension of senior public officials against whom a conviction judgment is imposed regarding criminal offenses of misuse of official duty and corruption.

 “The purpose of this change is to prevent further abuse of authority through the suspension of these officials, and not allow them to influence the evidence – a key element to ensure successful prosecution. The proposed articles apply to all official persons accused of corruption offenses, thus enabling to handle and approach them uniformly regardless of the function or duties they exercise” said Minister Tahiri.

Among other amendments, Minister Tahiri also mentioned the abolition of the second hearing, the alternative to extending the investigation period, the changes related to the procedures of confiscation of illegally acquired immovable property, up to the trial in absentia, a proposal that emerged because in many cases when there was difficulty in ensuring the presence of the defendant in the proceedings, the defendants evaded justice, especially for the most serious crimes such as war crimes. In addition, the defendant’s absence at trial has caused enormous expenses and resulted without a final decision by the court.

“I state with responsibility that with the changes made, no one will be able to escape justice, no one can count on the wealth earned by a criminal offense, and no one can challenge the rule of law in the Republic of Kosovo. I am convinced that this Code will get wide support both in the Government and the Assembly, and that the good work done in its drafting be concluded with its approval as soon as possible, thus enabling the transformation of criminal justice in the Republic of Kosovo into an efficient, fair, accountable and responsible system” concluded Minister Tahiri.