Five prosecutors confirmed as candidates for Chief State Prosecutor

Five prosecutors have been confirmed as candidates for the position of Chief State Prosecutor, following the closure of the application deadline on Wednesday, 10 June. Listed in alphabetical order, the following individuals have applied for the position: Atdhe Dema – Prosecutor in the Terrorism Investigation Department at the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, Naim Abazi – Prosecutor in the Corruption and Financial Crime Investigation Department at the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, Rafet Halimi – Prosecutor in the Corruption and Financial Crime Investigation Department at the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, Shqipdon Fazliu – Prosecutor at the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, Zejnullah Gashi – Chief Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution in Pristina. Dema briefly confirmed via telephone: "Yes, I have applied." Prosecutor Abazi, for his part, said he expects the competition to fill what he regards as the most important position within the prosecutorial system. "Yes, I applied yesterday — as you know, it was the final deadline for applications, so I am part of the competition announced by the Prosecutorial Council. You are aware that this position has been held by an acting official for years, and now this competition will potentially fill what is perhaps the most important position in the prosecutorial system. I believe we will take part in a process that will be transparent and merit-based, and that the candidate who meets all the criteria — as required by the Council, the Law on the Prosecutorial Council, the State Prosecutor, and the regulations currently in force — will be selected," Abazi said. Prosecutor Halimi stated that it is in the interest of both the justice system and citizens for this position to be filled through a regular mandate. "I can confirm that I have applied for the position of Chief State Prosecutor. It is in the interest of the justice system and of citizens that the Chief State Prosecutor be elected as swiftly as possible through a proper and transparent process," he added. Prosecutor Shqipdon Fazliu did not respond to calls or messages from the editorial team; however, several sources within the prosecutorial system confirmed his candidacy. Zejnullah Gashi, Chief Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution in Pristina, also confirmed his entry into the race. "Yes, it is true — I confirm my candidacy for Chief State Prosecutor." The full list of all candidates who have applied for the position is expected to be made public in the coming days, once the verification of applications and assessment of candidates' eligibility has been completed. In addition to the confirmed names, several others had been discussed as potential candidates — including Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo Valdet Gashi, special prosecutor Admir Shala, Gjilan prosecutor Arben Ismajli, and Office of the Chief State Prosecutor prosecutor Bahri Hyseni — all of whom denied their candidacy in written responses. It should be recalled that the decision to launch the competition for Chief State Prosecutor was taken at the meeting of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council on 18 May 2026. At that meeting, council member Milot Krasniqi opposed the announcement of the competition. He criticised what he described as a "rush to launch the competition" without the full Council being present, arguing that the Council should not yield to pressure from other branches of power. He also highlighted that candidate Blerim Isufaj had previously been rejected by then-President Vjosa Osmani without a reasoned decision. "The public knows that this process has been deliberately blocked for around four years. After waiting so long, I simply do not understand why we are now in a hurry and what the urgency is in announcing the competition for Chief State Prosecutor. Why not wait for the proper legal conditions and full legitimacy to be in place for this action? Why should the Council act when those who have the least right to do so — those with no constitutional, legal or even moral right to be involved in this process — are the ones talking about it?" Krasniqi said, among other remarks. Following the announcement of the competition, Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo Blerim Isufaj filed a lawsuit before the Administrative Court seeking an interim measure to suspend the competition announced by the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council. The court rejected the request, and the matter is now before the Court of Appeals. /BetimipërDrejtësi