6 hours agoAppeal rejects request to exclude the judge in the case “53 million-by-kind”
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Kosovo's Appeals Court has rejected indictee Eset Berisha's plea for the expulsion of Judge Violetta Namani-Hajra from the trial in the case known as “53-millionshire”. With this decision, Appeals has confirmed the position of the Constitutional Court, allowing Judge Naman-Haira to proceed with handling the case. This is confirmed for “betim [...]
This is confirmed for “Justice Vow” by the defender of accused Berisha, lawyer Tatu Xhema, broadcasts Periscope.
“The complaint was rejected”, the lawyer Xhema said briefly.
The retrial hearing in this case is scheduled to be held on July 23, 2025.
The Appeals Court's decision came after that of the Foundation, which had rejected the request for Nama-Hajra's expulsion for the trial of 53 million, and whose decision Berisha's defence had filed with a complaint to the Court of Appeals.
At the retrial session on May 14th 2025, accused Eset Berisha demanded the expulsion of Judge Naman-Hajra. Berisha's lawyer, Teuta Xhema, said in that respect that the request has been made due to suspicion of a lack of impartiality.
The Constitutional Court in Pristina on 31 January 2024 convicted them and sentenced them to 10 years and 3 months of Burigm (with one): Paul Lekain, Eset Berisha, Negoti Shatrin and Besim Tahiri for the case known as “53-million-millionshire”.
According to the Foundation Act, Pal Lekaj was sentenced to three years and eight months in effective prison. To him, the court also pronounced additional condemnation, a ban on public office in public administration, or on public service during the length of 3 years and 6 months.
Praise Shatri was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison, while Besim Tahir was sentenced to one year and 8 months in prison. They were also pronounced a complete sentence, a ban on public office in public administration, or on the public ministry for two years. While, Eset Berisha was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison.
Likewise, Berisha's subsequent sentence was issued, either to the ban on public office in public administration or to the public ministry for three years.
But the Court of Appeals has turned the case against Paul Lekaj, Eset Berisha, Negoti Shatri and Besim Tahiri into retrial,
The “Justice Vow” had reported on the content of the full decision compiled by the Foundation in Pristina, publishing the tribunal's findings from the protection of the accused and findings by witness statements. And so is Apel's findings.
According to the indictment filed on 4 February 2022 by the Special Prosecutor of the Republic of Kosovo, Paul Lekaj, in the quality of the Ministry of Infrastructure (MI), Eset Berisha, his top political adviser, Nebis Shatri, as secretary-general in this ministry, in co-operation and deliberately and even with defendant Besim Tahiri, director of Public Procurement in MI, are accused of misusing official office with the case of sharing 53m euros for the consortium <x1Betel &Enka <2>>, for construction of the Pristina highway Hani Elez or otherwise known as the <x> Arferi> X4fer>
