According to the table, the accumulated payments for the period from April 1, 2023, to July 31, 2026, amount to 12 billion leks, equivalent to about 130.5 million euros at the official exchange rate of 91.94 leks per euro.

A first-instance judge would be entitled to a total of 7,514,880 leks, or about 81,737 euros, with 605 beneficiaries in this category.

For the Supreme Court, High Council of Justice and other categories, the accumulated benefit would amount to 8,015,872 leks, or about 87,186 euros, for 74 beneficiaries.

Second-instance judges would receive 7,765,376 leks, or about 84,461 euros, each, covering 170 beneficiaries.

For judges at the Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime (GJKKO) and prosecutors at the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK), the accumulated payment for the 40-month period would amount to 13,176,090 leks, or about 143,312 euros, for 35 beneficiaries.

The table also includes other positions, including investigators, judicial police officers and other categories of magistrates.

In a post on X, Rama said the Administrative Court ruling concerned not only an immediate 51% increase in salaries, but also a demand for payment of arrears dating back to April 2023.

“See in the attached table how much each judge would personally receive tomorrow as back pay, if the finance minister were to break the law and follow this extra-parliamentary decision-making,” Rama wrote.

Rama described the Administrative Court’s ruling as a case in which an interim measure was being used not only to suspend an administrative act but also to require that an act be carried out.

The issue is expected to be considered by parliament on Sept. 17.

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In a statement on social media post, Rama criticised the speed with which the Administrative Court had acted, arguing that it was seeking to enforce, in its own interest, a measure that could conflict with the law and the public interest, while many other cases remain pending before the courts.

“The doors of the State Treasury are opened only by the independent legislative branch,” Rama said, adding that parliament would address the issue in line with a Constitutional Court ruling during a session scheduled for Sept. 17.

Rama also published figures showing current judicial salaries and the increases sought by magistrates, which he said amount to roughly 51%.

According to the data released by the prime minister, first-instance judges currently earn 336,600 leks  per month and are seeking salaries of 508,200 leks. Judges of the High Court and officials of the General Prosecution Office currently receive 361,080 leks and are seeking 526,680 leks.

Judges and prosecutors at the Special Anti-corruption and Anti-crime Prosecution Structure (SPAK) and GJKKO currently receive salaries of 613,224 leks and are seeking an increase of 312,624 leks, which would bring monthly pay to 925,848 leks.

The dispute over judicial salaries follows a broader debate between the government and judicial institutions over the implementation of Constitutional Court decisions and the legal procedures required for budgetary changes.

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The demand followed an extraordinary General Assembly of Judges convened over the blocking of salaries for judges and judicial administration staff.

In a joint statement, the judges called on the Finance Ministry and institutions under its authority to immediately process the payrolls, saying legal obligations to judges and court staff could not be withheld.

They said the Constitutional Court ruling and decisions by the High Judicial Council had established the legal parameters for judicial salaries and should be fully implemented.

The judges also called for the immediate payment of salary arrears, saying this was a constitutional obligation that should not be made conditional on the adoption of new legislation.

They called for the prompt adoption of a new legal framework on judicial pay in line with the Constitutional Court ruling and constitutional guarantees protecting the status of magistrates, with genuine consultation with the bodies governing the justice system.

The judges said they would reject any legal proposal that failed to safeguard their salaries and other lawful benefits within the parameters established by the Constitutional Court and High Judicial Council.

They also demanded an end to administrative practices that, they said, hindered the financial operation of courts or created recurring uncertainty over the salaries of judges and judicial staff.

The statement said judges would use all available administrative, civil and constitutional legal remedies to secure payment of their salaries.

“If the responsible institutions do not act immediately to implement the Constitutional Court ruling and release the salaries, measures undertaken by the judiciary will be escalated, including the temporary reduction and restriction of judicial activity to urgent cases requiring immediate judicial intervention,” the statement said.

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Rama made the comments in a social media post sharing excerpts from Justice Minister Toni Gogu’s remarks at a news conference on Saturday.

“The executive proposes the salary fund for the judiciary and the legislature approves it,” Rama said, arguing that the Constitutional Court itself was waiting for parliament to implement its ruling on judicial salaries rather than taking action outside its powers.

“Each institution in its own place,” Rama said, adding that any alternative interpretation was, at best, “a waste of time.”

In his remarks a day ago, Justice Minister Toni Gogu said the dispute stemmed from a legal gap that would be addressed when parliament resumes its work on Tuesday.

“Public money is the citizens’ money, not the government’s. Every penny of the state budget must have legal authorisation before it can be spent,” Gogu said.

He stressed that Constitutional Court rulings were binding and could not be negotiated or treated as optional, adding that the legal gap was at the root of the current situation.

Gogu said the government’s priority was to ensure that the gap was addressed quickly and properly, in line with the Constitutional Court’s ruling and with its responsibility to safeguard the state budget.

“My duty is to ensure that this is done quickly, properly and in compliance with the Constitutional Court’s ruling, while also fully respecting our responsibility towards the state budget,” he said.

“I believe the dispute will be resolved in parliament, through legislation, because this is what the Constitutional Court has clearly determined,” Gogu added.

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The Council said payrolls and payment orders at several courts, including those in Durres, Fier and Gjirokaster, had been verified and approved by Treasury offices, but payments remained blocked at banks.

The KLGJ said Constitutional Court rulings were final and binding and that Parliament’s failure to act could not justify suspending their effects or withholding magistrates’ salaries.

“Neither Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Finance Ministry nor any other state body can reopen, reassess or relativise what the Constitutional Court has finally decided,” the Council said.

The Council called for the immediate payment of August salaries to judicial administration staff and magistrates at all three court levels.

In February, the Constitutional Court partially upheld a complaint by the Judges’ Union and struck down provisions of a 2023 law that had changed the formula for calculating judges’ salaries. It ordered Parliament to make the necessary legal changes by July 31, 2026.

At the end of August, the KLGJ approved a new basic reference salary for magistrates based on the court’s ruling and asked the Finance Ministry to release the funds. The ministry has said only Parliament can take the necessary action.

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