Thaci's defence team letter Kurti, Konjufca and Haxhi: Additional financial support urgent and necessary

An official request for increased funds for the legal protection needs of KLA leaders, Chief Parliamentary Glauk Konjufca, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Minister Albulen Haxhiu, has arrived on 12 August 2024 from the “Foundation for Support for Legal Protection of Hashim Thaci”.

The Foundation's Board through this letter writes to the heads of institutions that the establishment of spending restrictions for legal protection purposes made through Administrative Guidance MD-NR 012024 for meeting and changing Administrative Guide MD ʹ No.08/2022 for the legal protection of persons charged with potential crimes alleged in court processes by the Specialised Chambers, former President Thaci's defence team has put it in a state of objective incapacitatement to carry out its” position.

In the absence of financial means, the Foundation says it has left one of its main lawyers, but also currently the committed chief lawyer has warned it could leave in the coming period, respectively.

This way, this would result in not only the penalisation of Mr. Thaci, but would suspend or delay the judicial process itself for at least six additional months, until his replacement with another lawyer, which would take considerable time to get acquainted with the case circumstances and the four-year judicial procedure that is under way. Therefore, like Foundations found under the circumstances of unable to provide financial support to the financial needs of Mr. Thaci, we assess urgent and necessary additional financial support in order to ensure continued effective protection for former President Thaci in the judicial process against him. On the other hand, the foundation, despite precisely being established to provide an alternative source of financial support with the aim of easing the financial burden of the public budget in terms of this process, has failed to provide sufficient funds that would make the request unnecessary and unintelligent”, says Hashim Thaci's “Support for legal protection request.

The Foundation for Former President Hashim Thaci considers that through additional financial support from competent institutions in the Republic of Kosovo, effective access to justice will also be made to justice, respectfully in guarantees that are derived from it, which include, but are not limited to the right to be protected by free-willed defenders without being subjected to any restrictions. Also, according to this foundation, this would also enable effective implementation of the right to a fair process (from Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 31 of the Constitution), the framework of which is also the implementation of the “weapons equality principle, which means balancing the parties in the procedure in a proper balance.

The financial opportunity to effectively protect the case before the Specialised Chambers, not only for former Thaci President, but also any accused person puts it in an uneven position in relation to the Specialised Prosecutor's Office, which has an unmatched budget for carrying out its”, says on paper.

Also taking on the nature of the charges facing former KLA leaders, including Mr. Thaci, without prejudice to the judicial process, which is currently under way, beyond any doubt, according to Hashim Thaci's “Support for legal protection”, can easily be found that financial support of their judicial protection is not simply and only of personal character, but, above all, a judicial battle in which the legitimacy of the heroic and liberation war of the KLA is being defended, as well as the integrity of the just cause of this war, in response to the life and freedom of the people of Kosovo<>

The “Support for Legal Protection of Hashim Thaci” believes that sharing required financial means, in the last instance, serves only justice, respectively, effective opportunities to protect the integrity of the KLA's fair cause in the face of trends to establish parallel between the liberation activity of this organisation and unprecedented war crimes and crimes against Serbia's humanity, ahead and especially during 1998-1999 in Kosovo.