TIRANA, Dec. 12 – The country’s first two justice reform bodies – the High Judicial Council and the High Prosecutorial Council – were successfully established on Wednesday.
Through a common statement, the US Embassy to Tirana and the European Delegation underlined on Monday the need to establish the High Prosecutorial Council and the High Judicial Council, both key bodies of the justice reform, as soon as possible.
“We call upon Albanian judges and prosecutors to ensure a free and transparent election process for magistrates at the High Prosecution Council and the High Judicial Council. The ongoing construction of justice reform institutions should be held and confirmed this week,” the statement of the country’s two most important diplomatic delegations stated.
In this context,HPC members were were elected on Tuesday, while judges’ representatives for the HJC were elected through vote on Wednesday.
The US Embassy in Tirana, EU Member States’ ambassadors and OSCE Presence in Albania congratulated the respective authorities and spoke of an important milestone in the justice reform implementation on Wednesday night.
The US Embassy said the justice reform is replacing a rotten system with a system which has integrity and which fulfills and serves the needs of Albanians and also congratulated judges and prosecutors who were brave enough to vote and change the country’s history.
The appointed judges are Dritan Hallunaj, Marcela Shehu and Brunilda Kadi from the first instance courts; Brikena Ukperaj and Ilir Toska from the appellate courts and Medi Bici from the High Court.
The establishment of the HJC can undo the cramp created by recent court appointments and transfers, and opens the way to fill vacant positions at the High Court, which has now remained with four members, as a big part of judges and prosecutors were ousted under the justice reform’s vetting process over the last five months.
Similarly, one of the HPC’s most pressing tasks is the establishment of the National Investigation Bureau and the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime.
“National actors should now consolidate the advancement of the justice reform, also through recruitment and appointment of new magistrates, which is crucial to the judiciary’s functionality. A strong and independent judiciary is critical in bringing to the Albanian people results in the fight against organized crime and corruption,” said a EU-US delegations common statement.
A functioning justice system may be more necessary now than ever, as the government faces serious allegations of illegally granting an offshore US company and its branch in Albania two public tenders totaling 30 million euros and claiming it was just an innocent mistake.
