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Conviction charges in Greece: The Prosecution says it has been verifying the "Gjoka" case for 1 year

Politiko 2025-05-05 20:18:49

Conviction charges in Greece: The Prosecution says it has been verifying the

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, published on Monday a document presented as a decision of the Court of Ioannina in Greece, according to which it shows that Judge Irena Gjoka of the Special Court has been sentenced to 3 months in prison and a fine for forging a passport and a visa in the mid-2000s.

Berisha filed the complaint after leaving the SPAK premises, where he must appear due to a mandatory appearance order in the context of a corruption investigation against him. He leveled accusations against Judge Gjoka, while his lawyers declared to the media that "her decisions regarding Berisha are null and void."

Suspicions about a conviction of Judge Gjoka in Greece circulated in Greek media a year ago. Asked by BIRN about the conviction, Gjoka categorically denied it.

"I have absolutely not been convicted by any of the Greek justice authorities," said Judge Irena Gjoka over the phone, while forwarding BIRN several documents forwarded by the Greek judicial authorities in Athens, which state that there is no evidence of any criminal proceedings against Irena Gjoka, who has previously also held the surnames Shpata and Maneku.

"Within the framework of the official verifications that the General Prosecutor's Office is conducting, based on the decriminalization law, the Greek authorities have officially responded to the institution's request, confirming that I, Judge Irena Gjoka, not only have not been convicted, but there is no negative data in my name in any law enforcement institutions," said Gjoka, adding that the accusations were intimidation and obstruction in the exercise of duty.

BIRN was unable to independently verify the document published by Berisha and the documents forwarded by Judge Irena Gjoka, but the case appears to have once again set the justice institutions in motion.

The General Prosecutor's Office, when asked about Berisha's public denunciation, said that it had started the verification of Gjoka in May 2024 and had not yet completed it.

"As of 05.05.2025, the General Prosecutor's Office has not completed the in-depth verification and has not issued a decision approving the verification results. Based on the denunciation made public, the in-depth verification process will continue," the General Prosecutor's Office said.

The General Prosecutor's Office subsequently announced through the coordinator for the right to information, Rozeta Tase, that a letter of formal notice will be sent again to the Greek justice authorities, requesting information regarding the specific decision published by Berisha as a decision of the Court of Ioannina. Meanwhile, the High Inspector of Justice, ILD, told BIRN that "the information made public on Monday regarding Judge Irena Gjoka will be treated and assessed by the ILD in accordance with legal provisions."

Judge Irena Gjoka began her career in the justice system in 1993 and has worked as a judge in Fier and at the Serious Crimes Court. Since December 2019, she has been part of the Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime in Tirana.

The Law "On Guaranteeing the Integrity of Persons Elected, Appointed or Exercising Public Functions", also known as the Decriminalization Law, was adopted on December 17, 2015 and entered into force at the beginning of 2016. All officials who were subject to this law, including judges and prosecutors who were in office at that time, completed and submitted the decriminalization form for the first time at the beginning of 2016. The legislation in this case does not provide for periodic declaration. Reporter.al