Prime Minister Albin Kurti has asked the Basic Court in Pristina to oblige the Special Prosecution Office to take his testimony in the state reserves case to the Prime Minister's Office.
Government Spokesperson, Përparim Kryeziu, announced that the Prime Minister's Office, on Friday, addressed the Basic Court "regarding the Court's notification on the testimony requested by the Prime Minister."
Kryeziu has also attached the full letter addressed to the Court.
It states that Kurti has never refused to give his testimony regarding the matter in question.
"The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo has never refused to give his testimony regarding the matter in question. This has been made clear through the letters that the Office of the Prime Minister has sent to the Prosecution in response to their invitation to appear. Furthermore, the Office of the Prime Minister has provided more than two alternatives on the dates and times of the interview, so as to demonstrate his willingness to answer any question that any prosecutor or responsible official may ask regarding any matter on which the Prime Minister is aware and is related to the work of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo," the letter states.
It is further stated that Kurti has expressed full willingness to cooperate with justice and to respect the principle of transparency and accountability.
The letter states that the request for the interview to be conducted in the office was made taking into account the specific circumstances of the case and the institutional position that Kurti holds, as stated, a practice that has occurred before in similar cases in Kosovo and beyond.
The letter states that the Prosecution has not responded to any proposal from the Prime Minister's Office and has not given any reason why it is unable to interview the Prime Minister on the proposed dates and in the proposed environment.
"This shows a clear lack of willingness to provide evidence that, according to the Prosecution's claims, is necessary to conduct the investigations in the case in question. If there had been a willingness to interview the Prime Minister, such an interview would have been conducted months ago, on one of the dates proposed by the Prime Minister's Office itself," the letter states.
It is further stated that this stance is neither an avoidance of the process nor an attempt to request special treatment.
The letter emphasizes that it is based on several, as it is said, "inherent" factors.
The first factor listed in the letter is "institutional perspective and respect for the position of the prime minister."
"The Prime Minister of the country is the highest executive representative of the state. For this reason, his schedule must be taken into account, especially given his ongoing institutional and on-the-ground engagement," the letter states.
The second factor mentioned is “precedented precedents.” The letter states that there are “documented cases in Kosovo and beyond (e.g. former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac or former US President Bill Clinton) where senior institutional officials have been interviewed on their premises and not at the Prosecutor’s Office.”
The third factor mentioned was the “political nature of the invitation.” The letter accuses the prosecution of failing to prosecute corruption cases.
"There are strong suspicions that this call from the Prosecutor's Office has no legal motive, but political. The Prosecutor's Office has failed for years to pursue high-profile corruption cases and instead of addressing these problems, is attempting to create a false perception against the Prime Minister. This is also motivated by the Prime Minister's public stance against the proposal for the appointment of Mr. Blerim Isufaj as Chief State Prosecutor. Consequently, we cannot help but see every action of the Prosecutor's Office
"Special as politically motivated and publicly unreasonable," the letter states.
The third factor listed is "governance to date and commitment to the rule of law"
"This is the Government that has fought corruption, as evidenced by the situation on the ground but also by credible institutions and organizations such as Transparency International or the World Justice Project," the letter states.
