TIRANA, Feb 21 /ATA/ General Prosecutor Olsian Çela attended on Friday a roundtable on electoral crimes, organized by civil society in the light of the May 11 elections. He dwelt on the role of the Prosecutor’s Office in ensuring and safeguarding the electoral process within the legal framework.
The roundtable was attended by SPAK chief prosecutor Altin Dumani, State Election Commissioner Ilirjan Celibashi, civil society representatives, international institution representatives, and others.
In his remarks, Çela highlighted, “The presence of representatives from civil society and international institutions here demonstrates a genuine concern about the electoral process, covering both administrative violations and criminal offenses that jeopardize this process.”
“However, it also underscores our responsibility, as institutions, in charge of investigation and criminal prosecution, when it comes to the progress of this process and our role in ensuring and safeguarding it within the legal framework, while also clarifying what we, as justice institutions, must accomplish in this area,” emphasized Çela.
He stated that standards are always crucial and are closely connected to those of investigation and criminal prosecution.
“In this context, we have consistently paid close attention to the public perception, both from civil society and the feedback of electoral subjects regarding the electoral processes. We have observed and actively participated in several research efforts concerning the performance of the Prosecutor’s Office in relation to the investigation of electoral crimes. The result of this institutional attention has been a series of measures that we have taken in support of the electoral process, fulfilling our legal and constitutional duties,” emphasized Çela.
Çela announced that “we are in the final stages of an institutional coordination protocol with the Central Election Commission, through which we aim to quickly identify issues that constitute facts or criminal offenses, rapidly referring these facts, complaints, and reports to the relevant local prosecutor’s offices, encouraging these prosecutors to act quickly with a proactive approach, which is also a necessity, providing timely information regarding what is being done and what is not.”
Çela also discussed the collaboration and interaction with the Special Prosecutor’s Office, stressing that “while we are addressing the electoral process, the criminal offenses under investigation are varied, and our roles complement each other in how we work together. We will soon sign an agreement with the Special Prosecutor’s Office to make the most of our capabilities and collaborate effectively during the electoral process, ensuring our actions are well-coordinated. This will improve the efficient functioning of both the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Prosecutor’s Office in investigating electoral crimes.”
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