TIRANA, May 11 – Albania’s Independent Qualification Committee ousted Constitutional Court judge Fatmir Hoxha today for being unable to justify his accumulated wealth under the country’s judiciary reform.
Hoxha is the third Constitutional Court judge to be ousted under the reform, after Altina Xhoxhaj and Fatos Lulo. Another judge, Besnik Ymeri, resigned prior to undergoing the vetting.
So far, only judge Vitore Tushe has been approved by the IQC to continue practicing her profession as a judge, but she is currently unable as her mandate as a judge is expired.
According to the IQC, Hoxha couldn’t ultimately justify the money used to buy 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.
The Constitutional Court, now left with three judges, has been out of order over the last weeks, as six are needed to start a meeting and five to pass a decision.
