Defense at the Special Court: Gërvalla reveals how much has been spent — “Funds are not a challenge”

Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla spoke at a press conference about many issues concerning the Special Court and the sentencing of the four former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders. She was also asked about finances and claims that the defense could be a problem for financial reasons.

“It is not the minister’s decision, nor any official’s, how much funding is allocated. It is a commitment Kosovo made in the context of the then-adopted constitutional amendments, of the Law’s adoption…,” she said.

According to her, by September 2026 Kosovo’s budget has paid a total of 40,611,855 euros for the defense and other obligations related to the implementation of this mechanism. She further announced that of this amount 39,787,000 euros were spent on legal defense.

Meanwhile, only for the four accused persons under the first-instance verdict of the Court, dated 16.09.2026, the total amount paid is 28,470,000 euros.

Minister Gërvalla further said that the Ministry of Justice has no unpaid obligations to lawyers or other beneficiaries under this program.

“For 2026 the budget allocated for these expenses is 8,050,000. For the period for which the data have been reported, a little over 4 million have been spent,” she said.

“At no moment have I seen a tendency, neither before I came to this ministry nor today that I lead this ministry, that funds would be a challenge for which justice could not be established, even in The Hague,” she said.

Gërvalla also answered the question why she has not spoken at all about the unjust verdict of the Special Court, under which the four former KLA leaders were sentenced to a total of 81 years in prison.

“As Justice Minister it is not for me to give assessments of a verdict whose judgment I have not even read, but above all which is in the appeal process. We must maintain institutional seriousness. I can give assessments as a private person, but it is not for me as justice minister,” she said, as Telegrafi reports.