KPK closes its operations, VOA: Nearly 270 judges and prosecutors lost their jobs

In Albania, the deep reform of the justice system in legislation was followed by the process of re-evaluation of judges and prosecutors, from which approximately 270 of them lost their jobs. The Independent Qualification Commission ended its mandate in November, while its head, Roland Ilia, said today that after 7 years of activity of the KPK, the vast majority of its decisions remained in force.

American and European diplomats asserted during a rally following the 7-year process of transitional re-evaluation of judges and prosecutors that Albanian justice is regaining public trust, thanks to professional, uncorrupted magistrates with high integrity.

After a meticulous and unique reassessment process on the assets, professionalism, and integrity of judges and prosecutors, the Independent Qualification Commission closed its activities in November with over 800 decisions for and against continuing to work for them.

The Chairman of the Independent Qualification Commission, Roland Ilia, said during a rally at the end of this 7-year process that the re-evaluation of magistrate judges and prosecutors was necessary for the deep reform of the judicial system, and that nearly 90 percent of its decisions have remained unchanged.

"From February 2018 to November 2024, 805 subjects were verified, of which 373 decisions were issued for confirmation in office, 268 decisions were issued for dismissal from office, 105 decisions for interruption of the process, 8 decisions for termination of the process, 49 decisions for completion of the process without a decision and two decisions for suspension from office," said Mr. Ilia.

American diplomats once again expressed the full support of the United States for the new justice institutions in Albania.

Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Albania, Nancy VanHorn, said that justice in Albania today is much better than in 2016, when 25 percent of judges admitted that there was corruption in their court, while 57 percent of them admitted that there was political interference, so reviewing all the qualities of judges and prosecutors was needed to rebuild public trust, a task that was not easy and met with much resistance.

"Citizens in Albania should know that Albanian officials are held accountable every day and this work will continue thanks to the work of courageous Albanians such as judges and prosecutors, and Albanian citizens should be proud of their results," said Ms. VanHorn.

She added that SPAK is fighting corruption and organized crime and is sending corrupt political figures to court, and everyone in the judicial system is fulfilling and needs to fulfill their duties with integrity, when handling corruption cases, to end the exploitation of positions and favoritism, and much work remains to be done by them.

The reassessment process was also supported by over 6,600 complaints from citizens, who are regaining their trust in justice.

The head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, said that "impunity is being shaken today," while the daily challenges have not scared the employees of the Special Prosecution Office.

"The justice reform was transformative, going through one of the most comprehensive assessment processes with the sole purpose of bringing Albanian citizens a professional, fair, integrity-based, transparent justice system and, above all, restoring their trust in the new justice institutions," said Mr. Dumani.

The EU also expressed full support for the justice reform and its outcomes, as part of Albania's EU integration. The Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, said that rebuilding public trust in judicial institutions is an important outcome of this process.

"I am not exaggerating at all when I say that what you have done with the reform of justice in Albania has contributed to the opening of negotiations in the first group of chapters with the EU, alongside other actors of course," said Ambassador Gonzato.

The powers of the KPK are now transferred to the SPAK, while the reassessment in the Independent Appeals Commission continues until 2026. Over 400 appeals against KPK decisions were filed with the KPA, and of these, around 120 appeals are awaiting review. VOA