The trial in The Hague, the withdrawal of 12 witnesses is expected to speed up the process

The withdrawal of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office from 12 witnesses in the judicial process against the former leaders of the KLA, is being evaluated as appropriate and is expected to influence the final acceleration of the trial.

The final epilogue in the judicial process against the former leaders of the KLA does not seem to be very close.

The Office of the Specialized Prosecutor in The Hague has not shortened the time for presenting evidence.

As it had been since the beginning, the ZPS will finish its trials in April next year.

Following the request of the Specialized Chambers, the SPS issued a submission, with which it announced on Friday that it will not rely on the statements of the 12 witnesses in the case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi.

While in one of the conferences on the progress of the case, held last month, ZPS had announced that there are 65 witnesses left to be heard in court, and it was planned that more than 50 testimonies would be submitted in writing.

According to the lawyer accredited by the Special, Taulant Hodaj, this action of the ZPS is expected to influence the judicial process to end sooner than planned.

"And it is in accordance with the deadline set by the court, for the prosecution to present their witnesses until March, April next year. And if it goes at this pace, it is expected that all witnesses will be finished, and in this regard, the prosecution has shortened the list in order to adhere to this deadline. This is normal because I can shorten the time for the conclusion of the trial, and after the witnesses of the prosecution it is the turn of the witnesses of the defense and it is expected that this trial will be completed by the end of next year", said Taulant Hodaj - lawyer.

Two other lawyers think the same, who also estimate that the process is being prolonged.

"It is in the function of shortening the procedure that it is already confirmed that it is protracted since it is the prosecutor's duty to take care to provide incriminating and exculpatory evidence. I estimate that the defense side should carefully analyze these testimonies in case they are relevant and rather if they go in favor of the accused in this judicial process", said Ardian Bajraktari - lawyer.

"Such a thing affects the speeding up of the judicial process, so the fewer witnesses, the closer we get to the final word that will be given to the party at the end of the judicial process, which should culminate with the announcement of the decision afterwards, meanwhile ending a judicial process in the fastest and most reasonable time is a rule and principle that must be applied", said Meshari Selimaj - lawyer.

Even in the past, the ZPS has waived some witness statements, and many others have been submitted in writing. The judicial process against Thaçi, Vesel, Selim and Krasniqi started in April 2023, while they have been in custody since 2020.