VV convicts could lose the deputy's mandate?

The four deputies of the Vetevendosje Movement, who were sentenced today by the Pristina Constitutional Court, risk losing the MP's mandate in the Kosovo Assembly if the sentences they filed were confirmed by the Court of Appeals.

It was later reported that Albin Kurti, Albulen Haxhiu, Donika Cadaj-Bujupi and Faton Topalli were found guilty of using gas in the Kosovo Assembly, while conditional sentences were pronounced against them.

Kurti was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, Haxhiu to 1 years and 3 months, Cadaj-Bujupi to 1 year and 6 months, as well as Faton Topalli to 1 years and 2 months in prison.

All these sentences will not be executed unless the accused commits other criminal acts within a two-year period.

However, Kosovo's Constitution, but also the regulation of Kosovo's Assembly Work, stipulates that MPs sentenced to 1 and more years in prison lose the MP's mandate.

Point 6 of paragraph 3 of Article 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo stipulates that an MP loses his mandate if “is tried by a formal criminal offense verdict with one or more years in prison”.

The same definition is in the Kosovo Assembly Work Rule.

The point of paragraph 1 of Article 25 of the Kosovo Parliament's Work Rule stipulates that the MP loses his mandate if “is sentenced for a prison criminal offence for a period of a (1) and more years”.

So if the Court of Appeals of Kosovo confirms the sentences pronounced by the Pristina Constitutional Court or does not tame them in less than 1 year's imprisonment, convicted MPs risk losing their mandate.

Neither in the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo nor in the Parliament's Labour Rule there is any definition or exception that makes the difference between the effective and conditional prison sentences.