Prime Minister Edi Rama has continued his criticism of the judicial system, targeting another judge for a decision he says is unfair. In a lengthy Facebook post, accompanied by a photo of the judge, Rama strongly opposed the decision allowing the reinstatement of a former employee of the Police Supervision Agency, who he says had built without a permit and deceived the authorities.
The head of government declares that the former employee was dismissed from his post due to the fraud he committed with illegal construction, while the judge, according to him, not only did not take these violations into consideration, but also ordered his reinstatement.
This is the latest in a series of criticisms that the Prime Minister has directed at judges for certain decisions. However, public and personal interference with members of the judiciary constitutes a precedent that goes beyond the framework of the law.
According to the legislation in force, any party that objects to a court decision has the right to appeal it to a higher instance. Even the Prime Minister, when he judges that the decision is unjust, should turn to the court and not to Facebook.
Public comments on his part, especially when accompanied by personal exposure of judges, raise serious concerns about respect for the independence of the judiciary and the incitement of public pressure on the judiciary.
However, this precedent also comes from the fact that even in previous cases, the government of the judiciary, the Supreme Court of Kosovo, has not risen to the level of responsibility it has to prevent these public attacks. It remains to be seen whether there will be an official position on today's case.
