The High Prosecutorial Council, KLP, rejected by a majority vote on Wednesday the requests of two candidates for Prosecutor General to exclude KLP members from decision-making; thus unblocking a process that had been in a stalemate for weeks.
During the plenary meeting that lasted for almost six hours, there was a discussion regarding the candidates' requests, subsequent requests among council members to exclude each other, as well as the procedures followed and different majority votes for similar cases.
At the beginning of the meeting, members Ledina Riza and Arta Mandro noticed that member Zeqir Hoda, excluded from the entire process, had requested to be familiarized with all the acts.
"If the document recorded by Hoda implies the Council's actions, shouldn't we first look at what she is asking for in this request?" Mandro asked, emphasizing that her only interest was related to a fair and lawful process.
However, the majority of members consisting of Sokol Stojani, Vatë Staka, Moisi Duda, Erind Gërmenji, Erind Mërkuri and Olger Eminaj requested that the review of the requests of candidates Ylli Pjetërnikaj and Arta Marku continue, as well as their voting.
The Chair of the Council, Mirela Bogdani, read the request of candidate Ylli Pjetërnika, who requested the exclusion of KLP member Vatë Staka from the selection process due to suspicions of conflict of interest.
Staka described Pjetërnikaj's request as unfounded and illegal, noting that he had not previously filed any claims against him.
"Look at the minutes and my opinions on his appointments. I participated in four votes for this prosecutor, including for his appointment as a lecturer at the School of Magistrates. In none of these procedures has a request been filed for my exclusion," said Staka.
At the end of the discussions among the members, Pjetërnika's request was put to a vote. Only two of the members, Ledina Riza and Arta Mandro, voted for Staka's expulsion.
"The council did not show its prudence in this process, as it seems, and entered a journey of war with each other over issues of character, perhaps ego, but maybe I could be wrong," Mandro said before the vote.
The majority, consisting of members Sokol Stojani, Erind Gërmenji, Erind Mërkuri, Moisi Duda, Olger Eminaj and chair Mirela Bogdani, voted against Pjetërnika's request.
Later, the examination of the request of the candidate Arta Marku for the exclusion of Stojan from the selection procedure continued. Marku stated in her request that she had appointed Stojan to a management position in the General Prosecutor's Office and later dismissed him through an individual order. She claims that Stojan is therefore in a conflict of interest.
Stojani rejected Marku's request as unfounded. He argued that the release order signed by Marku had been in function of his request to resign from the management position he had held. According to Stojani, the fact that they had different positions on a professional issue could not lead to a personal conflict.
"A conflict situation does not produce a conflict of interest. If this logic is followed, then every prosecutor whose decision has been overturned by the director is in a conflict of interest. Mark's request proves a professional relationship, but does not prove a relationship, personal conflict, or prejudice," Stojani said.
Mark's request was rejected by the votes of five members; Vatë Staka, Moisi Duda, Erind Gërmenji, Erind Mërkuri and Olger Eminaj. Ledina Riza, Mandro and chairman Bogdani voted in its favor. /Taken from Reporter.al
