PRISTINA, July 12 /ATA/ The defence team of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has asked the Specialist Chambers in The Hague to grant him release on bail.
The request states that Thaçi does not pose a flight risk and that he has offered a €50,000 financial guarantee to secure his release.
The defence also detailed the conditions that Thaçi is prepared to accept as part of his potential release.
Besides the €50,000 financial guarantee, the request states that he would remain within Kosovo’s territory and hand over his passport and any other travel documents.
The request also states that Thaçi would refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly, through the media and/or social media, and would not discuss the details of his case with anyone other than designated members of his defence team.
Thaçi has said he is willing to accept conditions similar to those imposed on his co-defendants, described as “a proven and suitable framework for temporary release”, as well as any other measures deemed appropriate by the Single Judge of the Trial Panel, including:
a) Mr Thaçi would be required to remain within Kosovo’s territory unless authorised to leave by a competent panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC).
b) Mr Thaçi would be required to hand over his passport and any other travel documents to the Registrar, including visas and identification documents that could be used for travel. The obligation would also cover any new passport or travel document issued to him by Kosovo authorities or any other authority after the decision is issued. If his presence is required at the KSC’s headquarters, the Registry would make his passport available solely for that purpose. Once he returns to Kosovo, the passport would be handed back to the Registrar.
d) Mr Thaçi would be required, as a condition for his release, to deposit a €50,000 financial guarantee with the Registrar in the form of a monetary transfer to the Registry’s account.
e) Mr Thaçi would be required to refrain from any direct or indirect contact or communication, through any third party, of any kind and by any means, with his co-accused (Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi).
f) Mr Thaçi would be required to refrain from any direct or indirect contact or communication, through any third party, of any kind and by any means, with anyone he knows to be a witness in this case or in any other proceedings before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC).
g) Mr Thaçi would be required to refrain from any direct or indirect contact or communication, through any third party, with any person alleged in the Amended Confirmed Indictment to have participated in or assisted in the obstructive conduct at issue in this case.
h) Mr Thaçi would be prohibited from discussing the details of his case with anyone other than designated members of his defence team, including close family members. He would also be required to inform anyone seeking information about the case that he is bound by a KSC-imposed restriction on such discussions.
i) Mr Thaçi would be required to refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly — including through family members — in the media or on social media concerning the KSC, the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO), or any proceedings before the court.
j) Mr Thaçi would be required to report weekly to the Kosovo Police for verification, in accordance with procedures set out by the Registrar.
k) Mr Thaçi would be required to return to KSC detention if ordered to do so and attend any court hearings as required by the KSC. Failure to appear before the KSC as ordered would result in the forfeiture of the financial guarantee referred to in paragraph (d) and the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant.
l) Mr Thaçi would be required to notify the Registrar of the address where he will stay while present in the Host State to attend court hearings and comply with any movement restrictions imposed on him during his stay there.
m) Mr Thaçi would be required to respect the confidential classification of the decision on his release and would not publish, disclose or discuss its contents in any manner, directly or indirectly, with any person, including any accused person held in the Detention Unit and members of his family. The only exceptions would be his lawyer and designated members of his defence team, until the decision is made public by order of the Single Judge of the Trial Panel (SJT).
n) Mr Thaçi would be required to comply with any other decisions, orders or instructions issued by the Single Judge of the Trial Panel and the Registrar.
/KosovaPress/sm/
