Recognition of justice: President Make a Decision for Chief Prosecutor

Whether by decree or not of Isufaj, President Vjosa Osmani has not decided yet. Monitorers of the jury process say it is time for the president to make a decision regarding the proposal for the chief state prosecutor.

Thirty is the number of authorised competencies for the president with the Kosovo Constitution. Among them is the appointment and dismissal of the chief state prosecutor, with proposals from the Prosecutorial Council. President Vjosa Osmani has not yet exercised this competence, though it has been 16 months since the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council has nominated for chief state prosecutor Blerim Isufajn.

Radio Kosovo has asked the President's Office when it is expected to be decided for Isufaj and how time spent without decision-making is reasoned. But, despite several days' wait, the presidency has not responded.

Ramadan Makshana, from the Kosovo Institute for Justice, the organisation that had monitored the candidate selection process for chief state prosecutor, says that although legally there is no deadline for decision making, it is time for the president to make a decision.

We know that there is also a constitutional issue which has been referred to by former candidates for chief state prosecutor, and that this issue has not yet received epilogue. However, the president must make a decision. We as IKD estimate that this process should be returned to zero because the integrity of this process has been violated”, he said.

While constitutional law expert Mazlum Baraliu says the issue of the chief state prosecutor is being stalled even for lack of co-ordination between the KKP, the presidency and the Constitutional Court.

“How it is possible for such an important country, the chief state prosecutor, as an institution of government in importance, to be postponed so long during decision-making, while the structure of Constitutional Court members is there. So, it would have to be decided and have a constitutional decision, so that the president himself was declared to make the right decision. So, we don't have enough efficiency, not co-ordination and not proper institutional responsibility”, Baraliu said.

After the end of Alexander Lumez's term, the full competencies of the chief state prosecutor are exercising Besim Kelmendi.

Meanwhile, besides candidate Blerim Isufaj, there were also Albanian Fazliu, Cameron Munishi, Armen Hamiti and Lulzim Sylejmani.