Monitoring Report IV “Establishment of Special Courts Against Corruption and Organized Crime and the Special Structure, SPAK”
Supported by:Open Society Foundation for Albania
Project:Strengthening public information and participation in the implementation of justice reform by monitoring, evaluating and communicating the process of setting up and functioning of institutions to combat corruption and organized crime
The establishment and functioning of the Special Courts and the SPAK constitute one of the key components of the reform of the justice system.
Until December 2018, the progress of the vetting process of the members of the Judicial Prosecutorial Council and the High Judicial Council constituted the main indicator of the progress of the process, as the setting up the Special Courts and the SPAK could not to begin without first establishing these two bodies.
Although with their establishment it was considered that the process of establishing the Special Courts and the SPAK would proceed at a faster pace, after about a year of this event, the low rhythms of the vetting process and the high failure rates of by judges and prosecutors nominated to the Special Courts and the SPAK continue to remain the key impediments.
This monitoring report describes in detail the progress of the process up to this stage and gives some recommendations to reduce potential delays in the coming months.