07 Oct Statement by President Meta regarding the conflict between the First Instance GJKKO and the National Chamber of Advocates
Statement by President Meta regarding the conflict between the First Instance GJKKO and the National Chamber of Advocates
The escalation of the conflict between the First Instance GJKKO and the National Chamber of Advocates has been not only entirely unnecessary, but also entirely avoidable, since the Rules of Procedure of the First Instance GJKKO were approved as early as July 17, 2026, made public on July 31, 2026, and entered into force on September 1, 2026.
Dozens of postponed hearings, accompanied by delays in proceedings, violations of due process, and infringements of the economic rights of lawyers, as well as those of the state itself, which pays for the transportation of pre-trial detainees from prisons in the districts to Tirana, in addition to the costs incurred by defendants and their family members.
But the continued deliberate silence on the part of Parliament and the Government speaks louder than the conflict itself.
This deliberate silence becomes even more ironic at a time when the Government is lecturing us about human rights and the importance of the role of lawyers in criminal proceedings.
Therefore, Parliament can no longer remain indifferent, but must promote dialogue between the parties and intervene concretely in the Law on the Legal Profession, in favor of due process and the delivery of justice as soon as possible in the hundreds of thousands of cases awaiting justice, in order to put an end to this deliberate, absurd, unreasonable chaos that is undermining public confidence in Justice.
This is my consistent public position, which has been accompanied by institutional action by Mr. Tedi Blushi, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of Freedom, since September 24, 2026.
Meanwhile, as a person directly concerned by these proceedings (as I have stated both in writing and orally before the First Instance GJKKO), I have not only attended every hearing, but have also clearly expressed my willingness to continue the proceedings against me on the basis of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Remarkably, the Prosecutor requested the suspension of the time limits for my pre-trial detention, but did not request the appointment of court-appointed counsel.
The Court, equally remarkably, accepted the Prosecutor’s absurd request, suspended the time limits for my pre-trial detention, but did not appoint court-appointed counsel (as required by the Code of Criminal Procedure), precisely because of this institutional deadlock with an unmistakable political orchestration.
This has nothing to do with the Justice Reform adopted on July 21, 2016, but rather with its transformation into “Ramaform.”
Therefore, this deliberate conflict is merely a continuation of the deliberate destruction of due process and, consequently, of the rule of law itself by Ramaform.
Out of respect for public opinion, I wish to clarify that from the first preliminary hearing of my trial until now, I have never missed a single court hearing, and I never will.
My confrontation with Justice, as well as with dictatorship, is not only an obligation I have toward the Albanian citizens; this confrontation is in my very DNA.
Because of Ramaform, the investigation, which should have been confidential, is made public, while the trial, which by law should be public, is not only made secret, but is also delayed.