KPK dismisses Blerim Isufaj as chief prosecutor of the SPRK

The Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPK) has dismissed Blerim Isufaj from the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK), as Telegrafi reports.

The decision was taken at the urgent meeting of the KPK, which was held on 2 October.

The meeting had been called urgently and was held behind closed doors to the public. Its focus was the performance of the SPRK chief prosecutor, Blerim Isufaj.

Today’s meeting came one day after the KPK’s regular meeting, held on 1 October, at which, according to sources, the issue of Isufaj’s performance had also been discussed.

The Kosovo Law Institute (IKD) had reacted to this development, expressing concern about the calling of the urgent meeting and requesting that no actions be taken that could undermine the functionality of the Special Prosecution.

“IKD clearly emphasises that accountability must not and cannot be used as a justification for decision-making with hasty and unclear procedures against a chief prosecutor,” the institute’s reaction said.

IKD had assessed that the matter should be treated with care, taking into account the SPRK’s mandate in handling cases related to organised crime and transnational crime, as well as cooperation with other states.

The institute had requested that any process that could affect the position or mandate of the SPRK Chief Prosecutor be conducted in compliance with the Constitution, the applicable law and judicial practice.

According to IKD, the evaluation of the chief prosecutor’s performance should be “professional, fair, impartial, objective and based on measurable indicators”, while also respecting the independence of prosecutors in handling individual cases.