The Special Appeals Chamber decided on Tuesday, by majority vote, to uphold the decision of the Independent Qualification Commission to confirm Tirana prosecutor Valentin Preçi in office, contradicting the position of the Head of the Special Prosecution Office Altin Dumani, who, as a party in the vetting process, had requested Preçi's dismissal.
According to the summary decision, which we have been able to obtain information about, by the panel of judges composed of Ina Rama as presiding judge, Mimoza Tasi as rapporteur, Albana Shtylla, Rezarta Schuetz and Sokol Çomo as members, Ina Rama and Sokol Çomo were in the minority, voting against the confirmation, while the other three judges voted in favor.
This decision, which was announced live on the official website of the College, can be considered at least courageous for the vetting KPA in general and the three judges in the majority in particular, since not only the Head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, replaces the Public Commissioner in vetting, after the end of the latter's mandate, but also the ONM observer.
Preçi was confirmed in office on January 10, 2024 by a majority vote of the Independent Qualification Commission, KPK, which conducted his re-evaluation process. Based on a recommendation from the ONM, former Public Commissioner Florian Ballhysa requested his dismissal for problems in all three re-evaluation criteria: assets, clean image, and professionalism.
But today the KPA dismissed Ballhysa's appeal, leaving Valentin Preçi in office.