The High Inspector of Justice Mr. Artur Metani gave an interview for journalist Eni Ferhati on Euronews Albania about the decision of SPAK on the detention of a magistrate who is in disciplinary proceedings by the HIJ, and other cases under verification and investigation.
THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH THE HIGH INSPECTOR OF JUSTICE MR. ARTUR METANI
Journalist Eni Ferhati: To begin with, Mr. Metani what is your comment upon the arrest of the judge Enkelejda Hoxha from Kruja, for whom you had previously asked the High Judicial Council to dismiss?
High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani: First of all, I would like to thank and congratulate the work of SPAK on the yesterday achievement in the fight against corruption in the judicial system. This is another fact which shows that the new justice institutions are working. SPAK has achieved within its competencies, the same thing the HIJ has achieved within its own competencies, i.e. the administrative proceedings of magistrates to the relevant councils, such as the case of Enkeleda Hoxha in the High Judicial Council or other magistrates that HIJ has sent to the Councils. These are facts that show that the new justice institutions are working, of course not in their full capacities and perhaps not meeting the public expectations yet, but we must give time to the institutions establishment, to the creation of the first practices, the first duties, first achievements, so that the effectiveness of the reform can come to light as soon as possible.
Journalist Eni Ferhati: Mr. Metani, you have considered the verification of releases on parole a priority since taking office. So far, how many cases which show that this legal maneuvering has been used, are under HIJ investigation?
High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani: The HIJ started working on February 1, 2020. Since my first appearance in the media on February 8, 2020, due to the public high sensitivity about releases on parole at that time, the High Inspector of Justice defined that the priority of his work for 2020 would be releases on parole, the analysis of this phenomenon. In March, that is, from February to March, the first investigation into this matter began. In June the investigation was over and it was sent to the relevant Council, the High Judicial Council in that case, for the proceeding and dismissal of a judge. This proceeding ended and the judge is dismissed today. Meanwhile, other cases have been under investigation. The investigation for the judge Enkeleda Hoxha started in July and it was sent to the High Judicial Council with a request for dismissal in early December. Simultaneously, HIJ has started and completed the investigation for another magistrate and has asked the High Prosecutorial Council to prosecute and dismiss this magistrate for the same violations which judge Hoxha was prosecuted for.
The phenomenon of releases on parole is being researched and fully analyzed by the institution of the High Inspector of Justice, not only for the measures to be taken for judges and prosecutors who violate the law, but also to propose changes in concrete practices by institutions that have the duty to do so, which means that the study and overall analysis of the phenomenon of parole is wider than that. For this reason the High Inspector of Justice is completing its analysis and will certainly address to the relevant institutions soon. All judges and prosecutors who are found guilty of breaking the law at the end of this analysis will be prosecuted according to the legal provision.
Journalist Eni Ferhati: According to the work done so far, who turns out to have abused office the more, prosecutors or judges and which category has the largest number of complaints?
High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani: Generally speaking, there are more complaints about judges because being the final decision-making body, the judges are probably closer to the public sensitivity, their satisfaction or dissatisfactions about decision-making. Of course there are complaints about prosecutors as well, but the largest number of complaints are about judges.
Journalist Eni Ferhati: The last question, what is the message of the High Inspector of Justice for the system?
High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani: This is a war. This means that the implementation of the justice reform with the illegalities in the system is the war of all the new justice institutions. This is the reason why I have requested even before and I think that the best way to win this war is the cooperation among the new institutions of justice. Therefore, I congratulated the work of SPAK and said that every institution, doing their work within their competencies is moving forward towards the implementation of justice reform. What I want to say to the system is that it is true that the High Inspector of Justice cannot breathe down on judges and prosecutors’ necks to violate their independence, but there is no chance that their legal violations will go unpunished. Everyone should think twice before acting.
The full interview of the High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani can be found here: