President Meta confirmed the name of notary Sonila Bejtja, as the 7th judge of the Constitutional Court, after the Justice Appointments Council sent earlier in the day the candidacy to the President. Bejtja, who has worked from April 2001 until today, as a notary in Tirana, will fill the chair of the judge Besnik Muçi, who couldn’t pass the vetting process. This decision came nearly one week after the Court achieved the quorum to became functional again. The 7 judges appointed to the Court now are Sonila Bejtja, Përparim Kalo, Altin Binaj, Vitore Tusha, Fiona Papajorgji, Elsa Toska and Marsida Xhaferllari, from a total of 9 seats.
The U.S Ambassador Yuri Kim congratulated President Meta and the JAC for filling the vacancy, adding that it “further reinforces the functionality of the Court.” The EU Ambassador Soreca also thanked the President through Twitter for decreeing the 7th judge of the Court. At least 140 pending files from the last three years are expected to be reviewed by the Court. Some of the most famous files are related to the demolition of the National Theater, and the last local election.
