Judicial Integrity Initiative Survey Launch

Prishtina, April 4, 2017 – Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) has launched the “Judicial Integrity Initiative” (JII) survey, as part of the “Demand for Justice” Program funded by US Department of State / Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and implemented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).

The purpose of the JII survey is to provide an opportunity for key actors within the Justice System in Kosovo to anonymously share their concerns about the mechanisms of corrupt behavior and the specific circumstances under which they occur. This JII survey will be conducted during the month of April with the participation of all core justice sector actors, such as: judges, prosecutors, advocates, KP Investigators and KP Inspectorate Investigators.

The Executive Director of KDI, Ismet Kryeziu, emphasized that the “Judicial Integrity Initiative” will enable respondents to anonymously share their concerns about the mechanisms in the justice sector in Kosovo that would damage their professional integrity. “Only by exposing and describing these institutional weaknesses and actions feeding corrupt behavior will Kosovo be able to address them through legal changes, additional oversight or transparency”, Mr. Kryeziu said.

Mr. Osman Havolli, Kosovo Bar Association President, said that he strongly believes that through the JII, judges, prosecutors and advocates are giving their contribution to the justice system in Kosovo. “So the results of this survey will be used as a guide on how to eliminate different behaviors which affect the integrity of public officials in the justice system”, said Mr. Havolli among others.

Whereas Nehat Idrizi, Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) Chair, added that this initiative is very welcome and it’s something new in the Justice system in Kosovo. “Through this survey the stakeholders of the justice system in Kosovo will have the chance, from the inside, to report or address their concerns, regarding any eventual corrupt behavior of their colleagues. Speaking openly, this is a new approach on implementing the standards of judicial integrity that our system is lacking”, Mr. Idrizi added.

Blerim Isufaj, the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) Chair, noted that KPC has added as part of strategic priorities, increasing the level of integrity in the prosecutorial (judicial) system. Chairman Isufaj stated, “We have supported JII from the very beginning of the project, and we have asked all of the prosecutors and support staff to cooperate. We hope the results of the survey will not only measure the level of the actual integrity in the system, but will be used as a clear guidance for KPC to draft policies and make decisions to strengthen the integrity of this system”.

The research is part of the “The Demand for Justice” Program funded by the US Department of State / Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and implemented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI).