Judgment of Thaci and others, SPS concludes questions about fourth witness at private session

Before the hearing was concluded, the chairman of the court, Judge Charles Smith III, has issued a oral order involving questions from the court for the witness.

The order to develop the trial envisions questions from the court may be questioned after the parties are finished with their questions so that we can clearly understand what the parties have been asking, and the court questions can become invalid and unnecessary as a result of anti-questioning questions from defence”, he said.

Judge Smith has stated that the order to develop judgment provides for the importance needed to ensure the justice of the parties to ask clear questions stemming from new information.

Similarly, he said questions from the court can be asked at any moment and that the same are not against questions and do not reflect the questions of the parties, but aim to reveal the truth.

Otherwise, it is expected tomorrow that defenders of former KLA leaders will begin with questions.

Today, the court has overturned Krasniqi's defence request for translating SPS preliminary notes.

During the May 10th 2023 session, the defender of Jakup Krasniqi, lawyer Aida Ellis, had demanded that documents submitted by the Prosecutor, be translated into Albanian, as he said Krasniqi cannot read in English.

During the month of April, the trial has begun until the April 3rd session, former President Hashim Thaci, former Prime Ministers Kadri Veselin and Jakup Krasniqi, and after reading the indictment amended by the SPS, were declared innocent of the acts imposed on them.

On April 4th, Thaci's defence, Weselin and Selimi have given the opening word until April 5th Krasniqi's defence has given the opening word.

On April 11th, the presentation of the prosecution's evidence, where the prosecution's first protected witness has given her testimony on April 11th, April 12th, April 13th and April 17th.

On April 17th, the hearing of the second witness, also protected, has begun to witness again on April 18, April 19, and April 20, where the third witness has ended, and on May 10th the testimony of the fourth witness has begun.

Otherwise, the Specialised Prosecutor's Office, on September 30th, 2022, has handed over the confirmed amended indictment against Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, which consists of ten points of charges, where the latter are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On April 29th 2022, the Specialised Prosecutor's Office had handed over a amended indictment to Hashim Thaci, Kadri Wessel, Rexhepi and Jakup Krasniqi, where four indictees have committed war crimes even in Gjilan, Budakov and Semtish.

On November 9th 2020, in their first appearances, Hashim Thaci's Jakup Krasniqi has been declared innocent of the charges placed on them. Wessel has also been declared in his presentation on November 10th, as has Rexhep Selimi on November 11th.

The incident against Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselin, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi is confirmed on October 26, 2020. /Betimy for Justice