Judge to be probed for alleged corruption

TIRANA, Nov 2 – The High Council of Justice decided Monday to approve a request from the prosecutor’s office to investigate a judge on alleged corruption charges.
The prosecutor’s office had asked the Council to strip Qani Hasa of his immunity after starting an indictment against him on passive corruption.
A statement from the prosecutor’s office said that based on an indictment from a citizen they had made all the required steps checking the evidence and the identification of the involved persons.
Investigation had shown that the judge had allegedly received a certain amount of money from the family of an arrested person in exchange for a lighter verdict.
That is a rare case or event in the Albanian judiciary.
Corruption in the judiciary has always been Albania’s weakest point during its post-communist period.
All reports from international institutions about the country always set corruption in the judiciary as a main issue that the country has to deal with.
The assistance of international institutions for the Albanian judiciary also covers a main issue of their involvement and funding.
Last week there was another effort to assist Albania’s judiciary.
The OSCE, the School of Magistrates and UNICEF held a seminar for judges and prosecutors on the use of sentences that do not involve imprisonment in the northern city of Shkodra.
The training course followed new Criminal Code amendments that provide for more alternatives to imprisonment, such as probation, and for an office to supervise such sentences.
Head of the OSCE Ambassador Robert Bosch said: “The probation service is a positive step that will reduce overcrowding in prisons. Unnecessary imprisonments should be avoided as they carry high financial and social costs. This seminar aimed to make sentencing practices more efficient and uniform and to clarify the newly adopted legislation for judges and prosecutors.”
The seminar focused on how probation services work and how judges and prosecutors can co-operate with probation officers. A German judge and a German probation officer presented best practices from EU countries as a possible model for Albania.
A similar seminar took place earlier in Tirana, and further seminars will be held next month in the Vlora and Gjirokastra regions.
The seminars are part of joint efforts by international organizations to provide technical assistance to Albania’s judicial reform. These efforts also have included support to the Justice Ministry in developing probation services, including legislation drafting assistance, support to probation trainers and officers and the creation of a manual for probation officers.