The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani received today at a meeting the acting Chief State Prosecutor Mr. Besim Kelmendi, and the Chairman of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council Mr. Jetish Maloku.
The necessary and urgent need to intensify the activities of the Prosecutor's Office and the coordination of justice institutions in the prevention, prosecution and adequate punishment of the perpetrators of the criminal offenses of rape, sexual harassment and criminal offenses against sexual integrity.
Madam President asked the KPK and Acting Chief State Prosecutor to take the necessary steps to intensify this fight and to increase the necessary capacities to enable such measures. At the same time, the President pledged to support all justice and law enforcement institutions in undertaking these steps.
The President also reconfirmed her support for the initiative on vetting and justice reforms as the most necessary and appropriate way to guarantee a judicial and prosecutorial system with integrity and professionalism. According to President Osmani, the integrity and professionalism of prosecutors and judges within the justice system is the main pillar of the rule of law in our country. In this regard, especially now after receiving the green light from the Venice Commission, the President said that vetting is one of the most important reform processes in our country in terms of building a credible prosecutorial and judicial system and restoring citizens' trust in justice. In this context, the President called on them to cooperate with the responsible institutions in the development of this useful process both for the prosecution and for the citizens of our country, through active participation in the working groups, offering their concrete suggestions for the advancement of this process.
The current developments regarding the process of nomination and appointment of the Chief State Prosecutor was also discussed at the meeting. The President reiterated her position that she will wait until the end of all judicial procedures in the country's courts and our justice system before taking a decision on the KPK proposal. Such an approach, the President emphasized, is necessary to maintain legal certainty and to ensure the unhindered and effective use of legal remedies by counter-candidates, as well as to guarantee citizen trust in the process after remarks by civil society and international partners.