Judge Sali Berisha was captured taking bribes, sentenced to prison

The indictment was announced at the Constitutional Court in Pristina on Friday by the chairman of the court, Judge Mentor Bajraktari, reports “The Law on Justice”.

Berisha has also been sentenced to a fine of 4 thousand euros for “bribe taking” and 1,000 euros for possession without permission.

A unique fine fine of five thousand euros must be paid in the 1 month term after the full might of the act.

At the last session, held 24 April, the Special Prosecutor had demanded the sentence of former Judge Sali Berisha, while defending his release.

According to the indictment, filed on February 5, 2020, by the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo, defendant Sali Berisha, judge at the Department of Serious Crimes at the Criminal Court, is charged with having directly sought and accepted benefits in order to act contrary to his official office.

As reported in the indictment, on September 19, 2019, the defendant Berisha had met with witness F.Z., who had agreed on a case in which for two criminal acts “smuggling with migrants” was charged with the brother of witness F.Z., the defendant Berisha, as chairman of the panel, to pronounce favourable sentences, in which he had pronounced a three-year sentence, provided he did not commit another offense within two years.

For this, he is accused of committing criminal acts “taking bribes” under Article 421, paragraph 2 concerning paragraph 1 of the Penal Code, which is fined and sentenced to prison of three to 12 years.

In addition, Judge Berisha is charging that until September 19th, 2019, he has held without permission a type pistol “Za Mini”, 8mm calibre, along with 10 rounds, which was seized on the case of the raid on his apartment in Pec.

Otherwise, the Kosovo Judiciary Council (KGJK), at an extraordinary meeting on September 20, 2019, had suspended Judge Sali Berisha following his arrest, under suspicion of involvement in criminal acts of corruption.