‘Land Expropriation’ Case, Former Kosovo Minister and 6 Others Moved from Detention to House Arrest

‘Land Expropriation’ Case, Former Kosovo Minister and 6 Others Moved from Detention to House Arrest

 The Court of Appeal has reversed the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina, replacing the detention measure with house arrest for seven suspects: former minister Fadil Ismajli, lawyer Mirlinda Bllata-Dibrani, judge Jovica Mitrovic, Bedri Dibrani, Shaban Tërbunje, Naim Krasniqi and Goran Llaziq. They are suspected of the criminal offenses of abuse of official position, taking and giving bribes, exercising influence and making false statements.

According to the decision, the suspects’ detention period will run from February 2, 2026 to March 18, 2026.

The decision taken on February 2, 2026, states that the defendants are required to remain in their homes or places of residence and do not have the right to leave, except in cases where this is necessary to meet vital needs or for health reasons, and only with the prior permission of the pre-trial judge.

The defendants are also informed that in case of non-compliance with the measure determined by this decision, they will be placed in detention.

The Kosovo Police – the relevant police stations – are obliged to supervise the implementation of this measure and in case of non-compliance, notify the court.

According to the Appeal, regarding reasonable suspicion, sufficient clarifications were provided by the first instance.

The Court found that in addition to the well-founded suspicion, there is a risk that the accused will influence the evidence that has not yet been obtained. Therefore, the Appeal also agreed with this finding of the first instance.

Meanwhile, the other two conditions that the first instance court considered to be met in the specific case – that of the risk of flight and the repetition of the offenses, according to the Appeal, do not hold. This is due to the fact that there is no concrete evidence or fact that would make it clear that in the specific case the two conditions in question for imposing the measure of detention were met.

Furthermore, according to the Appeals decision, the defendants’ residential addresses are known and that they are citizens of Kosovo, and the Prosecution has not provided concrete evidence proving the risk of flight. Meanwhile, for the two defendants of Serbian nationality, according to the Appeals, they live in Kosovo and have their residential addresses, and the mere fact that they are also citizens of Serbia does not prove the risk of flight.

Regarding the other condition – that of repeat criminal offenses, the second instance assesses that the suspects do not have a criminal past and that they are not known to be repeat offenders.

Therefore, according to the Appeal, the measure of house arrest is an adequate measure that should be imposed on the suspects. /OathForJustice/