“Legal experts should be heard before every decision”, lawyer Arianit Koci speaks about the Law on Speciale

Lawyer Arianit Koci has reacted to the proposal to change the way the constitutionality of the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers is reviewed, expressing concern that the proposed changes may not be sufficient to achieve the intended goal.

Koci, in a post on the social network Facebook, wrote that although he wants to contribute to helping former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are facing trials in The Hague, he does not believe the proposed path is the right way.

“I too want to help the liberators. But I do not believe this is the right way,” Koci said.

According to him, the publicised proposal aims to transfer review of the constitutionality of the Law on the Specialist Chambers from the Constitutional Chamber in The Hague to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in Pristina.

However, Koci assesses that a serious legal problem lies here.

He referred to Article 162, paragraph 3 of the Constitution of Kosovo, arguing that this provision recognises the Constitutional Chamber in The Hague’s competence for constitutional referrals related to the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.

“Without resolving this obstacle, I fear that tomorrow we will hear the reasoning: ‘We tried, but we did not succeed’,” he declared.

The lawyer called for legal experts and professionals who, according to him, put the interest of the country and of the accused above political interests to be heard before every decision.

“The hope of the people and of the families must not be played with,” Koci stressed, adding that a solution must be found that can not only be voted for, but also implemented in practice.

Koci expressed his readiness to contribute to this process.

“I am ready to help,” he said.

In his reaction, the lawyer also acknowledged that his stance may be misunderstood and may bring him political cost.

“I know that this stance may be misunderstood and may have a political cost for me. But someone must also take on this burden,” he said.

Finally, he asked MPs to give concrete answers before voting on the proposed changes.

“What happens after the vote? How will these changes be implemented and how will they help the liberators?” are the questions Koci addressed to MPs.

According to him, MPs owe these answers to citizens, while their responsibility does not end with casting the vote.

“Your responsibility does not end with the vote,” he concluded, as Telegrafi reports.