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KPA dismisses judge Arben Dosti from office

Politiko 2025-02-13 17:54:12

The Special Appeals Chamber, KPA, announced on Thursday, February 13, the decision to dismiss Gjirokastra judge Arben Dosti. According to the KPA, the subject resulted in conditions of insufficient declaration of assets and violation of public trust in professional findings.

Dosti was confirmed by the Independent Qualification Commission, KPK, on December 3, 2021, on the grounds that he had provided sufficient explanations regarding the negative balance of 36.4 million lekë found in the preliminary financial analysis due to undocumented declared income. He claimed that he had saved large amounts of money before taking office, from working in emigration in Greece, from cooperation with a trading company, as well as from the sale of a restaurant owned by his mother, all obtained before taking office.

The decision of the KPK was appealed by the former Public Commissioner, Florian Ballhysa, who assessed that the income claimed from emigration was not proven by legal documentation and therefore was at a declarative level. Also, the claims for income from cooperation with a company and from the sale of the premises owned by the mother in Kuçovë were considered declarative. Unlike the subject's claim that the premises was sold for 12.8 million lek, the contract stated a price of 3.9 million lek. The findings in the criteria of character and professionalism were requested to be considered in the overall assessment.

Like Ballhysa, the head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, who assumed the powers of the Public Commissioners, demanded Dosti's dismissal from office - a demand that was found justified by the College.

The presiding judge, Judge Natasha Mulaj, read out the decision to dismiss Dosti in a concise manner. Regarding the alleged income from emigration to Greece in the amount of 35 million drachmas, Mulaj noted that although several notarial acts have been administered that prove the possession of the liquid assets, the income and payment of tax obligations in the neighboring country have not been confirmed with legal documentation, and therefore they are not considered as legitimate sources.

A suspicious situation was also found for the income in the amount of 8 to 10 million lek from cooperation with a company, as well as for the alleged value gained from the sale of the mother's restaurant. According to the College, the amount of 3.9 million lek according to the sales contract for the restaurant does not meet the legal requirements since the tax obligations have not been declared and paid.

Consequently, an insufficient declaration was concluded in the asset criterion.

Regarding the figure, the College assessed that the Commission's conclusion should be upheld, that it is credible in this criterion, while regarding the findings in the professional aspect, it was stated that the subject is in a situation of violating public trust regarding the problems found in a case.

In conclusion, the KPA decided to dismiss Judge Arben Dosti, who was not present at the hearing. Reporter.al