TIRANA, July 5 – Temporary General Prosecutor Arta Marku was re-appointed by the Independent Qualification Committee on Thursday, although her absence during the hearing a day earlier was negatively commented and her professional skills were questioned.
Head of the IQC body, judge Tafa Bungo and the representative of the International Monitoring Operation Teo Jacobs said they were “disappointed,” while Marku’s defense lawyer Lirime Cukaj responded to the IQC members’ interest by saying the chief prosecutor “saw it reasonable to be represented.”
Bungo commented Marku’s absence from the hearing as “lack of prestige.”
For his part, Jakobs described her absence as a “bad sign,” adding that “leadership is not just a matter of authority but also accountability,” while further adding he would have liked to have a debate on some professional matters with her.
The debate Jacobs referred to is reportedly related to a case Marku had as a prosecutor in Shkodra, where she asked for the imprisonment of an individual detained for drunk driving.
This measure is considered redundant and unreasonable to Jacobs, who referred to a decision by the United College of High Court, under which arrest is only ordered when the offense is dangerous.
Concerning Marku’s leadership of the General Prosecution during the past seven months, it was said Marku has not given detailed explanations on the re-allocations of posts within the institution, but has rather said they come from “internal reorganization.”
The Democratic Party, which has previously protested against Marku’s appointment in office, said she has “committed flagrant violations” in her oustings and promotions of judges and prosecutors during her last seven months.
