Sentenced to 140 days of effective prison and 12,000 euros fine former KPM director Arben Bilalli

Bilall was being accused along with former KPM chief Luan Latifi of committing criminal work “taking bribes” in co-ordination.

At the session held on July 25, 2022 Bilall had pleaded guilty, while Latif was declared innocent and procedure was set aside against him.

The indictment against accused Bilalli was announced Thursday by Judge Alban Ajvazi, reports the “Justice Vowition”.

As for the 140-day prison sentence, Judge Ajvazi said accused Bilall will also be counted as the time held in detention and the time he has spent in house arrest, which sentence will be executed after the verdict is declared.

However, if the same cannot pay the fine of 12,000 euros, the penalty for fine will be replaced by prison sentences, where it will be estimated a day in prison for 20 euros.

Also on behalf of the supplementary sentence, public office is prohibited in public administration or public services during the duration of three years after the integrity of this act.

Also, accused Bilall has been charged with paying 50 euros for the judiciary and funding for crime victims.

While, the parties damaged for realising the property-juridic demand are directed in civil conflicts.

The disgruntled side, against this ruling, is entitled to a 30-day complaint by the day of receiving a copy of this act.

Otherwise, in advance on the same day the final word has been given, in which prosecutor Merrishe Lluqi has, among other things, proposed to the court that the accused Bilall plead guilty and declare the same sentence cohesive.

“proposes to the same judge to plead guilty for the criminal offence committed and to be pronounced a supplementary sentence as proposed in the indictment”, prosecutor Lluqi has declared.

Even the representative of the damaged party, lawyer Naim Rudari, has proposed judges that Bilalli pronounce sentence according to punitive policy based on the Supreme Court's punishment policy guide.

“In this case we ask the tribunal to pronounce the same sentence according to the pre-lawed penal policy, always based on the guidance for penal policies recommended by the Supreme Court”, the same one has said.

While, on the other hand, the defender of accused Bilalli, lawyer Florent Latifaj, said his defense has pleaded guilty even in the investigation phase and has also been co-operating with the prosecution organs.

“Sic knows my protector Arben Bilalli even at the initial session, but also at the first hearing of the trial has pleaded guilty. As you know, the same thing during the investigation phase has pleaded guilty, the same has been co-operative with the tracking bodies, accepting all his actions, incriminating him in this criminal act and bringing him to the post of criminal work”, lawyer Latifaj has said.

On the other hand, lawyer Latifaj has said he should be taken on the basis of the fact that accused Bilall has no criminal record or criminal procedure and that the same has submitted documentation on his state of health.

He has subsequently proposed that the punishment be reduced to a minimum in compliance with the legal provisions of lowering the sentence.

With lawyer Latifaj agreed to his defense, accused Bilalli, who said he felt guilty and was very sorry for what happened.

“Turn us guilty and I am very sorry for what happened”, accused Bilall said.

Otherwise, the Constitutional Court in Pristina on November 2nd, 2021, had confirmed the indictment against the two indictees, dismissing the request for impeachment of the indictment against accused Latifi and had also interrupted the measure of house arrest against him and accused Bilalli.

While following the lawyer's complaint, Musliu, the Court of Appeals has cancelled the first degree ruling, with which the indictment of corruption against accused Latifi had been confirmed and turned the case into restoration.

After returning to a restoration by the Court of Appeals on November 17, 2021, the Constitutional Court in Pristina on December 2nd, 2021 has refused the request to drop the indictment exercised by defendant Latifi's defender, and later on December 23rd 2021, Appeals has confirmed the decision of the first instance to confirm the indictment.

The incident, set up on September 15, 2021, charges Luan Latifin that in the quality of Independent Commission head for Media (KPM) and Arben Bilalli, in the quality of management and finance director at the KPM, during June 2021, they had demanded and bribed 8 000 euros from the injured Elhami Haziri, owner of the company “Tel Kos”.

The indictment is said to have been accepted by the accused in order that the company “Tel Kos” should not be pronounced fine because the same had committed legal violations by extending the network to some countries he had not announced. KAM.

According to the indictment, Bilal, on June 24, 2021, had met in his office with the owners of the company, Elhami Haziri, Enver Berisha and Ymer Kurtol, who had been asked for 20 thousand euros in bribes, telling them that this amount of money was being demanded by the accused Latifi.

But after the injured Haziri had told him that he did not have that much, the same had managed to settle for the start of granting 10 thousand euros, where, according to the prosecution, accused Bilall had written to the accused Latif “he was launching only 10”, and then on June 29, 2021, the accused Bill had met with the injured Haziri.

According to the prosecution, both had met at the restaurant “Garden”, in Gjilan, and after the injured Haziri had given him 8 thousand euros, had asked accused Bilal to contact accused Latif to convince him that the man had learned that the money was given.

After that, the prosecution is claiming that by implementing secret measures and under police surveillance, the accused Bilal in the presence of the injured Haziri had called the accused Latifi by saying “I took a job and now I'm walking”.

According to the indictment, the accused Bilali had accepted the sum of 8 thousand euros in an envelope and headed towards Pristina, where he was detained by police who had found the amount of 8 thousand euros and seized it.

For these actions, the two defendants are being charged for criminal work “taking bribes”, from Article 421, paragraph 1, concerning Article 31 of the Penal Code, which is punishable by fines and imprisonment of one to eight years.