April 4, 2025
The Head of the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), Mr. Altin Dumani, in exercising the powers of the Public Commissioner, was present today at the Appeal Chamber, to proceed with the judicial review of the appeal against decision no. 521/2022, issued by the Independent Qualification Commission (IQC), concerning the assessee, Mr. Erjon Shehaj, serving as a prosecutor/head of the Prosecution Office at the First Instance Court of Lezhë.
Following the attendance verification, the presiding judge invited the parties to present their closing arguments.
The Head of the Special Prosecution Office, adhering to the arguments and positions expressed in the previous hearing, assessed that the assessee failed to prove the appeal grounds and did not provide convincing explanations regarding the findings and procedural shortcomings identified in his actions. Referring also to the jurisprudence of the Chamber, the Head of the Special Prosecution requested that the shortcomings identified in the proficiency criteria and ethics of assessee be taken into account in the overall evaluation of the case. Accordingly, at the conclusion of the judicial review, the Chamber decide to amend Decision No. 521/2022, of the Independent Qualification Commission and dismiss form office the assessee, Mr. Erjon Shehaj.
The assessee, through his legal representative, maintained the same position regarding the findings raised in the appeal related to the proficiency criteria and ethics, arguing that the alleged impact on public trust in the justice system was not substantiated with clear reasoning. At the end of the closing arguments, the legal representative requested the confirmation in office of the assessee, Mr. Erjon Shehaj.
After hearing the final positions of the parties, the adjudicating panel withdrew to deliberate and will announce the final decision on April 9, 2025, at 15:00.
The appeal and the elements of the case have been published on the official SPAK website, in the “Re-evaluation Process” section: https://spak.gov.al/
The Head of the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime, in accordance with Article 179/b, paragraph 8 of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, has been exercising the powers of the Public Commissioners as of 1 January 2025.