The Special Appeals Court against Corruption and Organized Crime has just issued its final ruling on the former internal affairs minister, Saimir Tahiri. This Court has just decided to uphold the verdict made in the First Instance Court, except for the fact that Tahiri will now have to serve a 5-year-sentence.
However, due to a sentence reduction, Tahiri’s prison term will be converted to 3 years and 4 months.
Based on procedures, Tahiri will need to start serving his sentence immediately.
According to the court judgment, Tahiri’s actions and lack thereof at the time he served as minister, have led to the proliferation of cannabis cultivation.
The former minister has the right to send his case for recourse at the High Court, 45 days from his last trial date.
On the other hand, the Appeals Court didn’t make any changes today, as it pertains to the former district chief of police, Jaeld Cela, who has also been sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison.
SPAK called on the judiciary to sentence Tahiri to 12 years in prison along with the former chief of police, Jaeld Cela.
The former minister was initially sentenced to 3-years-probation on charges of abuse of power from the First Instance Court. However, the Appeals Court reversed this judgment and sent the case back for retrial at a lower court.
On September 20, 2019, the Criminal Court found the former interior minister guilty on several counts of abuse of power, sentencing him to 5 years in prison. This verdict was reversed by the First Instance Court and converted to 3-years- probation.
The Prosecution launched an investigation against Tahiri following the publication of a set of wiretaps in Italy, which claimed to incriminate the former minister and expose his connections to the infamous criminal group known as Habilaj.
Tahiri was appointed minister of internal affairs back in 2013 by the Rama I administration, at the young age of 34.
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