Shala: Falsifying election results is a criminal offense, punishable by up to five years in prison

Senior researcher at the Kosovo Law Institute, Gezim Shala, believes that the manipulation of votes observed during the recount of votes for parliamentary candidates is a major scandal that has undermined the integrity of the electoral process in Kosovo.

Speaking to Kosova Press, he emphasized that falsifying election results is a criminal offense clearly sanctioned by law, punishable by up to three years in prison, while in serious or aggravated cases the sentence may reach up to five years.

“With regard to falsifying election results, a sentence of three years is prescribed, while the aggravated form carries a sentence of five years. Definitely, what happened is one of the biggest scandals concerning the integrity of the electoral process since the elections of 2000 and 2010. In this specific case, prosecutorial action must follow,” Shala said.

The Office of the Chief State Prosecutor of Kosovo announced yesterday that the national elections coordinator, prosecutor Laura Pula, had requested chief prosecutors of all basic prosecution offices to begin collecting the necessary information and submit relevant evidence confirming the commission of any criminal offense related to the electoral process in all municipalities where the vote recount process has been completed.