Prishtina Bench Bar discusses the findings of the JII Survey

On September 18, 2017, as part of the Demand for Justice (D4J) Program, the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) in cooperation with the Regional Branch of Kosovo Bar Association (KBA) in Prishtina held a joint Bench Bar to address the findings of the survey conducted for the purposes of the Judicial Integrity Initiative. Judges, prosecutors, advocates and police participating in the bench bar discussed the ways to address the findings in their respective institutions.

They emphasized the need for better cooperation between the actors of the justice system in order to strengthen the integrity and to lower the level of corruption in the sector.  In this regard, Nevruz Hasani, Head of Serious Crimes Unit for Prishtina region at the Kosovo Police, stressed that the findings of the survey need to be taken seriously because the sample constituted of actors that work in the justice system in Kosovo.

Imer Beka Chief Prosecutor in Prishtina, agreed with his statement and added that the findings need to be addressed by relevant institutions.

The Bench Bar meetings generally confirm the accuracy of the JII survey findings and demonstrate that all actors recognize that tackling corruption in the justice sector is necessary to building citizen public trust.  In addition, the meetings make it equally clear that actors share a “collective reluctance” to speak openly on the record about specific corrupt acts or specific mechanisms for addressing corrupt justice sector behavior. Other participants in this bench bar were Skender Musa, President of the KBA Regional Branch in Pristina and six lawyers of the Prishtina region, representatives of the Basic Court in Prishtina, chaired by the President Afërdita Bytyçi, representatives of the Basic Prosecution in Prishtina, headed by Chief Prosecutor Imer Beka, as well as representatives from the Kosovo Police headed by Regional Director of Kosovo Police in Prishtina Rexhep Sijarina.