TIRANA, May 8 – Another Constitutional Court judge risks being ousted by the Independent Qualification Commission under the judiciary reform for not justifying his declared wealth based on the accumulated income throughout the years of working in the judicial system.
According to the IQC, close examinations of Fatmir Hoxha’s submitted paperwork prove the judge does not justify part of the money used to pay his only immobile property – an apartment in Tirana worth €140.000.
Hoxha said he’d taken a soft bank loan and two additional loans from his brother-in-law and friend to afford the apartment, however the IQC found two amounts of ALL 1.7 million and ALL 275.000 whose sources are unjustifiable.
Hoxha’s lawyer said the first sum was gathered by selling Hoxha’s Shkodra apartment furniture, prior to his appointment as a judge in the Constitutional Court, while the second sum was said to have resulted from Hoxha’s wedding gifts in cash.
While there have been no allegations that Hoxha has had inappropriate connections, the IQC did find cases of delayed court decisions in his professional activity.
Hoxha is the fourth Constitutional Court judge to undergo the vetting process — out of the first three, only judge Vitore Tusha has positively met the IQC criteria concerning both accumulated wealth and cleanliness of figure.
The final verdict concerning Hoxha’s future career as a judge will be given on Thursday.
