Request to modify Haxhi Shala's sentence is rejected

The President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova, has decided that Haxhi Shala's sentence will not be reduced or modified after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Shala was sentenced to three years in prison for obstruction of justice, following a plea agreement he reached with the Specialized Prosecutor's Office. 

"The President specifically noted that Mr. Shala had not expressed remorse and stated that she would consider the possible modification of Mr. Shala's sentence after two months," the DSK decision states.

Haxhi Shala, Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijari were convicted of obstruction of justice. Januzi and Bahtijari were released on bail in February by order of the President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSCC) in The Hague, Trendafilova - both were sentenced to two years in prison. 

The court based in The Hague had found that each of them was part of a group that attempted to induce a person not to testify in court, promising them benefits.

According to the court, Januzi and Bahtijari, acting under Shala's instructions, met with the witness at his home on April 5 and 12, 2023. At the meeting on April 5, Bahtijari told him that he should withdraw his testimony. On April 12, Januzi made the witness an offer that Shala and others would help him if he withdrew his testimony.