D+: The illegal MD has cut the deadline for consultation for the Bill on Confiscating Unjustified Riches

The Ministry of Justice has placed on the platform of public consultations “The Bill for the State Bureau for Verification and Confiscating of Inexistable Riches”, and for accepting written consultations, it has set a deadline of only eleven calendar days while calculating as a work day are only seven days, from December 10th to December 2021.

“Set such a short deadline for accepting public comments on such an important bill is contrary to Government Rule No. 052016 for minimum standards for the public consultancy process (Nini 9, point 1.1), setting that the bill's proposive body (in this case the Ministry of Justice) should enable the public enough time for comments, not less than fifteen 15 days' work since the announcement date for writing consulting. Also, according to points of the same article, for particularly complex or important acts, the deadline for sending comments could be extended to 60 calendar days”, said a D+ response.

According to this organisation, cutting public consultation schedules for this bill in seven days' working on the Justice Ministry, in addition to being opposed to Government Rule, undermines public confidence throughout the process of verification and seizure of unwarranted property.

For more, given that the bill in question covers a complex and important issue which has not been regulated earlier in Kosovo, the bill has had to be left for public consultations for at least fifteen working days. Therefore, we call on the Government to extend the deadline to give sufficient time for consultations and written contributions by the public”, the response is said to end.