“Pango” video-scandal at Court of Appeal

The judge panel led by Judge Metush Saraci, and made of judges Hysni Demiraj and Gjin Gjoni, declared that the verdict will be given on November 11th, due to the voluminous case. The former Minister was represented by his lawyer, Bendis Bocari.

In 2010, Judge Agim Bendo ruled in favor of fining Top Channel with 400.000 EUR, but the two other degrees, the court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, they both repealed Bendo’s decision. For this reason, the Court of First Instance took the case and rejected Pango’s request.

Pango’s lawyers claim that this decision was unilateral, since the Court did not analyze how the material in Pango’s residence was mounted. Pango’s lawyers claim there’s a privacy violation, due to the conflict, according to them, that Top Channel had with the former Minister of Culture about the building where Top Channel has its headquarters.

Top Channel’s lawyer, Sokol Nako, said that Top Channel had no conflict with Pango, and the only legal conflict was with the Albanian government in court. Nako says that the verdict is right, based on evidence, and the claims of the complaining party do not stand and that’s why they should be rejected.

Nako says that Pango’s lawyer herself has declared in the complaint addressed to the Court of Appeal that the broadcast has not changed the events that took place in Pango’s residence. Nako underlined that referring to the Strasbourg Court, which speaks about the balance between privacy and the life of public functionaries, the public has the right to be informed. For this reason, the verdict of the First Instance Court should stay in effect.

Top Channel