Two new, senior prosecutors have started work at EULEX. Jaroslava Novotna, from the Czech Republic, has taken over as the mission’s new Chief Prosecutor, leading a team of twenty-six prosecutors. Signe Justesen, from Denmark, will lead Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office (SPRK). Both have extensive experience working in the rule of law.

Novotna has worked as a prosecutor for more than thirty years, most recently working in the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office in the Czech Republic. She has special expertise in dealing with cases related to drugs trafficking and organised crime. She also has expertise in legal cooperation in criminal matters. Novotna is well aware of the challenges ahead.

“I appreciate the work that has already been done and I am very much looking forward to my new role. I relish the opportunity to try and make a difference, but I do not underestimate the challenges ahead’, said Jaroslava Novotna on her first day in office.

Signe Justesen, the new Head of Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office, has almost thirty years of experience in the rule of law field in Denmark. Justesen worked for ten years as a Chief Constable with responsibility for running joint prosecutor and police teams. She has previous experience in Kosovo, working as an advisor to the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC). She is looking forward to her new job, especially combining executive work with management, and cooperation with local counterparts and investigative police. In her first week of work she cautioned people about the high expectations invested in the SPRK.

“I am well aware of the hope that people have in SPRK, as an institution to fight high level crime. This is an enormous motivation for me and my team. But there is also a counter side to this. People are sometimes disappointed that no more results are being achieved. To them I would like to say: We need your continued support. Rule of law takes time to materialize, but progress is being made every day and we are working hard for that. Over 200 verdicts have already been delivered and EULEX as a whole is currently involved in more than 350 criminal investigations,” said Justesen.