76 % citizens think that influential political people are less likely to be punished by law

These statistics were intended to reason with Chief State Prosecutor Besim Kelmendi's Task Agent Besim Kelmendi, who, among other things, said prosecutors are not elected by politics while police superiors are.

Even incumbent Deputy Justice Minister Vigan Qorrolli said he must be trusted more justice than politics, stressing that for the first time in Kosovo justice does not avoid responsibility and is transparent.

GLPS Executive Director Nnomza Arifi, as she spoke of criticisms addressed to the justice system, also said the executive power and the legislature are responsible for that.

“Today GLPS will publish the now ninth known edition of the Kosovo Law Rule Institutions Index. This index started 10 years ago, perception data measured by indicators to realise this edition we conducted a poll and other data is data from the judicial system. We know that the institutions of justice continue to be on critical ground both from civil society and local and international estimates, mostly mention the lack of low penal policies, the amnestation of high profiles, low levels of property seizures and procrastination of procedures. However, we consider that all these impasses in the justice system are not only the fault of the responsible persons dealing with these, but some of the responsibility also has executive power and legislative body”, she said.

Elona Kurti, GLPS Project Co-ordinator until presenting the findings, said 76 percent of citizens have estimated that people with political influence are less likely to be punished by law.

“vable to preliminary periods of assessment, even in 2025 citizens continue to think that the justice system continues to be politically influenced. According to them, officials and policy-related people continue to have an impact on the activities of the justice system, thus making the same people less likely to be punished by law. This statement is based on the response of respondents to the “question, do you think that people with political influence are less likely to be punished by law? From the answers given, it turns out that about 76% of citizens estimate that influential political persons are less likely to be punished by law. While only 22.7% of them think that regardless of whether persons may have political influence, the same are likely to be punished on the basis of legal provisions”, Kurti explained.

Conspiracy Dean of Chief State Prosecutor Besim Kelmendi commented on the report and stressed that the law for the bureau and property seizure should be amended.

For me, it is always a pleasure to take part in these cases to prove that the judicial system and in particular the prosecutorial system is doing a very big job in transparency. I'm glad to congratulate you on this because for us it's a reason to review our work to increase our efficiency. I'm glad you appreciated that our efficiency is good and you found that we're on the rise until 2021 we were at 76% of efficiency today we're at 90%. If you look at the percentage of citizens who have been asked you see that some 71% of the persons involved are persons who are not involved in any case in the prosecution, I appreciate their opinion, but this percentage and their participation in our criminal cases shows how directly they are informed of our work in the prosecution. When we talk about independence, it's said that citizens' trust is greater to police than to the prosecution, until no single guide is given but by the prosecution because it gives authorization to perform services and we work as teams with the police. Prosecutors are not elected by politics, while police superiors are. As for the seizure of wealth, indeed citizens are entitled because we are not yet at the level of duty, they have room for more than just in the case of the bank seizures, when we talk about civil seizures I have supported every initiative in this direction, but my support has remained very unfulnessed, while the government has estimated that the property will only be confiscated in the official persons as you go abroad you see that there are young people who haven't worked and driving expensive cars while you see millions of villas that haven't worked and where it comes from, and the law I consider that the bureau should be changed and that all citizens be involved because it hasn't come from it. As far as the budget shows our independence in 2022 alone, we had an increase of 0.63%, in 2023 we had a reduction of 0.50%, while in 2024 we had more than 0.02% growth. If we want to get the best performance we need to have the best split budget based on cases that the prosecution has”, he said.

Fahret Vellija, a member of the Kosovo Judiciary Council, stressed that the judicial system has marked a progress until he added that broadcasting work to the public has not been at the level.

The judicial system is interested in the perception of citizens to the judicial system, so we are interested in our work of thinking. We have 6% of those questioned have had a job with the judicial system now posed another question to us, this 94% taking those perceptions of negative work. Despite the fact that over the past few years the judicial system has increased an efficiency progress that has not been passed to the public because according to the report we haven't been able to broadcast our work to the public, and that's due part of our burden. We have then tried a collaboration with nongovernmental organisations and the media, and we have had a meeting with them to hear criticism and suggestions for our work. The 2024 judicial system has shown good efficiency. As for the number of judges if we compare the population of another country we have an enormity and we see a judge with how much matter he does. The disturbing report remains the public's opinion of the policy impact on the decision making of judges”, he said.

Gigan Qorrolli, deputy justice minister, underlined that reports like this are the rightest mirror of reality citizens have before themselves.

It's a pleasure to attend this table that affects every citizen's life because reports like this one today are the best mirror that citizens have before them and we as the system of justice. When I talk about the part of justice, we have to be honest with the citizens and those who haven't knocked on the doors of the courts because I believe that the perception of society toward the justice system. I say we have to trust more justice than politics, and we have to work more and more every day to reverse this. For the first time in Kosovo, justice does not avoid responsibility and is transparent. Veting is misunderstood by citizens because they see a media judge who cannot reveal his wealth and went home. However, I am not a follower of statistics but are part of the performance of the justice system, but justice should be measured by the sense of justice that the citizen faces. Justice is done in Kosovo and whether it is first, not because citizens are not looking at”, he said.

From the Kosovo Law Rule Institutions Index of Performance, more than half of them have said judicial decisions are influenced by private or political interests.

The “more than half of respondents have not noticed improvements in the justice system in the past five years, while their main reason for failing to implement reforms in justice remains political will. Despite the low level of trust and satisfaction with the work of these institutions, citizens are eager to co-operate and report various criminal acts that could be committed in our country. The level of security in the country is deemed satisfactory despite long-term trends for destabilisation in northern municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo. Citizens estimate court punishment policy on average in domestic violence cases. About 60% of respondents estimate that judicial decisions are not taken based on facts and laws, but influenced by private interests or on policies”, performance said.

The survey on the implementation of citizens' assessment of justice institutions has included 1065 citizens until the poll was conducted in June 2025 by UBO Consulting.