74 thousand of 31 criminal case files completed by the State Prosecutor
Pristina, 11 April 2018 - Chief State Prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi has presented the State Prosecutor's Work Report for 2018.
During the presentation of this report, Chief Prosecutor Lumezi said that over the past year state prosecutors have shown high efficiency, completing in total 74,031 criminal case files of various natures, having focused on the criminal offenses of corruption, organized crime, terrorism, war crimes, economic crimes, murders, trafficking in human beings, domestic violence, drug trafficking and many other offenses.
Also, the head of the institution of the State Prosecutor has stated that charges were filed against MPs, ministers, former ministers, deputy ministers, mayors, directors of public enterprises, the Governmental Committee for recognition of the status of war veterans, police officers and other state officials.
According to Chief State Prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi, prosecutors and investigative police have sent clear messages to all perpetrators and criminal groups that they shall not take priority over the interests of the state, and sooner or later each time they violate the law, they will face the justice.
However, numerous details from the presentations of the Chief State Prosecutor to members of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council at the 165th meeting can be read in the following:
"During the last year, we have completed 74,031 criminal case files of different natures, while at work there are 59,788 criminal case files, which means that 12,243 more cases were completed than received at work.
The State Prosecutor has received at work 27,484 criminal reports for adult perpetrators, while 30,478 criminal reports have been completed and 2,994 more cases committed with the adult perpetrators. At the end of the year, 11,958 criminal reports remained uncompleted.
Regarding criminal reports with juvenile offenders, 2,540 criminal reports were received at work, while 2,746 criminal reports or 206 cases more than received were filed. On average, each prosecutor in the juvenile departments has solved 392 cases per year. At the end of the year 883 criminal reports were filed with juvenile offenders.
Serious Criminal Prosecution Departments of Basic Prosecutions during 2018 have received at work 1,553 criminal reports, while 1,788 have been completed. We have completed 235 more cases than received, while 1,162 cases remained uncompleted.
General departments within the Basic Prosecutions, which deal with cases up to 10 years in prison, have received at work 25,898 criminal reports for various criminal offenses, while 28,627 criminal reports have been completed. Also in this department 2,729 cases were completed more than were received, while 10,298 criminal reports remained uncompleted.
Also, during the reporting period, 11,821 separate reports were received, while 16,892 files were completed, so 5,071 cases were completed more than were received, while 19,893 remained uncompleted.
With regard to cases with unknown persons, 10,784 cases were received, while 16,828 cases were completed, so 6,044 more cases were completed.
Special attention has also been paid to requests that have come from foreign countries for international legal assistance. In this area, 270 cases have been solved, taking investigative actions as required by other states.
Last year, special importance has been given to the inter-institutional mechanism for the selection and targeting of the most serious crimes, where 11 high-profile cases related to organized crime and high-level corruption have been identified and 9 indictments were filed.
The reporting year also showed good success in dealing with cases of terrorism, where 15 cases related to terrorist offenses were completed, and as a result of joint work with other justice institutions, no citizen of Kosovo over the past year did not join warring zones.
Special attention has been paid to the fight against corruption as concrete actions have been taken in this regard, having completed 408 cases of corruption and 435 criminal case files related to economic and financial crimes.
In the context of serious crimes intensified actions in the sequestration of property acquired through criminal offense, where frozen and seized assets amounting to 27 million and 867,000 euros. Unfortunately, the final seizures are far smaller, but I want to emphasize that prosecutors do not issue final confiscation decisions. All links in the judicial system should make a contribution to this and should realize that the key to successful anti-organized crime and high-level corruption lies in the confiscation of wealth and weakness and weakening the economic power of criminal groups.
As far as war crimes cases are concerned, 16 cases have been completed, while the War Crimes Department has been completed with two prosecutors. EULEX prosecutors have transferred 970 criminal case files to local prosecutors, mostly related to war crimes, which have been allocated.
Also 1,581 cases have been solved that deal with the criminal offenses against the trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Following the previous year, there are 25 cases with 72 people dealing with human trafficking, where the investigation of these cases has improved and in 92% of cases judgment for these cases have been rendered.
Judicial decisions regarding the charges in indictment, which were filed by the Basic Prosecutions and the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo in 81% of the cases, ended with a condemnatory judgment. This best illustrates the professional work of prosecutors, but in this regard they should be more engaged through professional charges and rely on evidence to facilitate the work of the courts.
The Office for Victim Protection and Assistance, which functions within the CHSPO, has provided services and assistance to victims of crime, completing in total 1,620 cases of domestic of violence, sexual harassment, trafficking in human beings and prostitution.”
At the end of the presentation of the Work Report for 2018, Chief Prosecutor Lumezi stated that despite the great work that has been done last year, state prosecutors and support staff should increase commitment and efficiency in order to strengthen the rule of law in the Republic of Kosovo and increase citizens’ trust in institutions of justice.
