“Supreme Court of Serious is Blocked”, its President says

“For me as Court President and as a Judge, this situation is very concerning, a stalemate, a lack of efficiency in the penal justice system in general. This issue doesn’t belong only to the court, but it is a matter at the National Chamber of Lawyers and the Tirana Chamber of Lawyers, an issue that is about the efficiency of the justice system in genera”, Simoni declared.

Simoni said for Top Channel that no session was held for this trail in the last year, and that the court is waiting to proceed against the lawyers. The last request of the court was made on 18 October, when the Chamber of Lawyers received the list of 13 lawyers who were to undergo a disciplinary inspection procedure, but there was no answer.

“We requested disciplinary measures for 13 of the lawyers. The National Chamber of Lawyers has not acted so far. We have expressed our concern about this issue for several times, especially for the Chamber’s failure to give an answer. My concern is that this court is not functioning well, especially in relation with the National Chamber of Lawyers, as well as the relation with the so-called free legal defence system”, Simoni declared.

But while there is no response from the institutions, which are perhaps waiting until the amendments for the Law of Lawyers enters in act, the Court of Serious Crimes is consuming the entire list of defensive lawyers. For this, the Court has addressed a written letter to the Chamber of Lawyers, asking them to find other lawyers, since most of them on the current list are unwanted.

“We will ask administrative measures against the lawyers who have not answered to the Cout’s request, and there will be no fees for their services. We will ask them to be removed from the Court of Serious Crimes, until there will be an answer from the Chamber of Lawyers”, Simoni declared.

Top Channel