EULEX Press Releases

EULEX Press Releases

District Court Judge Convicted of Accepting Bribes

14 July 2010

On 14 July 2010, a mixed panel of judges, including a EULEX judge, at the Prizren Municipal Court, announced the conviction of E.H. for accepting bribes during his work as a judge at the Pristina District Court from 2005-2007. The panel consisted of one international judge and two local judges.

E.H. was found guilty of accepting at least 53,000 Euros, a Volkswagen Caddy car for his son, as well as further sums of money, from V.A., in order to either obtain the acquittal of A.A. and/or B.A., who were each charged with murder, or, if convicted, the imposition of a disproportionately lenient sentence.

The defendant committed a criminal offence, namely accepting bribes under Article 343 (1) of the Provisional Criminal Code of Kosovo. E.H. was sentenced to 4 years in prison. The court also imposed a fine of 10,000 Euros pursuant to Article 54 (2) of the Criminal Code of Kosovo.

In accordance with Article 73 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo the prison sentence will take into account E.H. time spent in house detention from 27 June - 24 September 2008.