Gashi: Security structures gave “green light” for Laban; Dismissal requires consent of two-thirds of judges

Lawyer Tom Gashi stated that the dismissal of Constitutional Court judge from the Serbian community, Radomir Laban, would require the consent of two-thirds of the judges of that judicial body, and that this has not happened so far because everyone has been calculating and seeking “political points.”

Recalling that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani had withdrawn her request of June 22—where she asked the Constitutional Court to clarify what would follow if the Kosovo Assembly was not formed by June 26, the deadline set in the Court’s first ruling—Gashi said that Osmani’s decision was made solely because Laban had been appointed as rapporteur in that case.

He added that reactions from all political parties in Kosovo soon followed, questioning why the information about Laban—presented by Osmani at her press conference—had not been made public earlier, given that he had served as a judge of the Constitutional Court for many years.

Gashi stressed that the security services had given the green light for Laban, enabling his appointment as a judge, while his dismissal would require the consent of two-thirds of the other Constitutional Court judges.

In his view, this is also a matter of political calculations.

“I think it will be explained in the near future what this is about, because it is neither logical, nor lawful, nor constitutional for someone who has been sentenced to prison in any country—he was not convicted in Kosovo, but in Serbia, yet the sentence is final, with reports stating he was sentenced to six years in prison—to serve as a judge of the Constitutional Court or any other court. Everyone has been calculating for political gain, and that is the only reason he has remained a judge for more than seven years,” Gashi concluded.