Svecla without punishment for hooligan behavior in 2013 - the case is obsolete

In three days, on June 27, it will be seven years, five months and 27 days since the current Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla, the President of the Social Democratic Party Dardan Molliqaj and others were accused of hooliganism and other criminal acts during the 2013 protest.

This means that after 10 years since they committed the criminal acts they are accused of, the case ends without an epilogue, because the absolute statute of limitations has set in, Reporteri write.

"Oath for Justice" first published the indictment on August 10, 2021, after Svecla and others were summoned to court to face charges related to 2013.

The threatened punishment in this case is a fine of 200 to 10,000 euros, as well as a prison sentence of up to five years.

The relative statute of limitations for these acts begins after five, and the absolute statute of limitations after 10 years from the commission of the criminal act.

"Oath for Justice" sent a request for information to the Basic Court in Pristina regarding the clarification of the history of the criminal proceedings against Minister Svecla and other defendants, but so far the court has not sent the requested clarifications.

More than seven years after the indictment, without a hearing

The first hearing against Svecla and the others was scheduled 2,706 days after the day they were accused of hooliganism and other crimes.

That hearing was set by judge Erol Gashi for August 10, 2021, exactly eight years, one month and 18 days after June 23, 2013, but Svecla did not appear, nor did the other accused.

The same thing happened at the next hearing on February 3, 2022, when the process against Svecla and others failed for the second time, because they did not appear in court. Then judge Gashi issued an order for Svecla’s arrest, because it was established that he had been duly summoned to the hearing.

Svecla appeared before the court, 400 days after the first failure - on June 6, 2022, but that hearing was not held either, because Molliqaj and five other defendants were absent.

After still unsuccessful hearings, the cases against the accused were separated.

Indictment: Svecla can be seen in the photo attacking government vehicles with stones

On June 27, 2013, the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina received a criminal report from the Kosovo Police against the suspects Dardan Molliqaj, Xhelal Svecla, Arsim Makastena, Bekim Shkadra and others for the criminal offenses of assault on an official, destruction or damage to property, and then for obstructing official persons in the performance of their official duties and inflicting light physical injuries.

On the basis of that criminal complaint, on March 14, 2014, the Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Svecla, Molliqaj and others, and they are individually charged with the criminal offense of a crowd committing criminal offenses and hooliganism.

The indictment states that on June 27, 2013, in Mother Teresa Street, during the protest, violent and hooligan actions, they threw stones, paint, glass balls, bottles, pyrotechnic devices, and as a result of these actions, police officers were injured and damaged and official police uniforms and equipment, two "Mitsubishi Pajero" and "Tuareg" cars, owned by the Government of Kosovo, as well as two more "Golf V" cars owned by the Kosovo Police.

In the explanation of the indictment, it is stated, among other things, that in the submitted photographs, Xhelal Svecla is seen throwing stones at the vehicles of the Government of Kosovo.