28 April 2022
The Public Commissioner was present today at the Appeal Chamber while initiated the judicial review of the appeal filed against the Decision no. 325/2020, of the Independent Qualification Commission, for the assessee, Mrs. Rilinda Selimi, judge at the Tirana Administrative Court of Appeal.
After the verification of the parties’ presence in the hearing, the presiding judge questioned the parties whether they had to file preliminary requests before the commencement of the hearing session.
The assessee initially submitted the request to become acquainted with the reasoned decision of the Appeal Chamber related to her request, filed on April 2021, to rule out 4 members of the panel from the adjudication of the case.
The panel, after reviewing the above request, in reference to the Civil Procedure Code, informed the assessee that she will be informed with the procedural acts during the trial process.
Consequently, the assessee, through a second request, sought the suspension of the trial, claiming that the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime is simultaneously conducting the assets assessment investigation of her related person.
At the request of the presiding judge, the Public Commissioner stated his opinion regarding the request of the assessee, evaluating that the process against her is not in the conditions set out in Article 297 / a of the Civil Procedure Code.
The panel after hearing the assessee’s claims and the opinion of the Public Commissioner, decided not to accept the request for suspension of the trial, arguing that the re-evaluation process is of a special nature, which does not generate the process overlap with other processes, and invited the parties to present the appeal grounds and likewise their objections.
The Public Commissioner, regarding to the appeal grounds, also with reference to the Recommendation of the International Monitoring Operation, requested the Appeal Chamber to take them into consideration and at the end of the trial to decide, to amend the decision of the Independent Qualification Commission, no. 325/2020, otherwise to uphold it.
The hearing then continued with questions to the Public Commissioner from the case rapporteur.
The adjudication panel further asked the Public Commissioner to submit in writing the requested elucidations through the case rapporteur and therefore decided to adjourn the next hearing on May 19, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.
Pursuant to point 1, Article 16 of the regulation of the Institution of Public Commissioners, the appeal and elements of the case are published on the official website of this institution: http://ikp.al/ankime
The Institution of Public Commissioners has been established and operates under Article 179/b and the Annex of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania and Law No. 84/2016, “On the Transitional Re-evaluation of Judges and Prosecutors in the Republic of Albania”.
Public Commissioners represent the public interest during the transitional process of re-evaluation of judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Albania.
