With seven votes in favor and no votes against or abstentions, the Committee on the Rights and Interests of Communities and Return approved the bill on the State Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets.
Fahrush Rexhepi, the committee’s first deputy chair, said the document contains 88 articles and 12 amendments, but does not infringe on the rights of communities in Kosovo.
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Rexhepi: The bill does not harm the rights of communities
“This bill defines the powers of the State Bureau for the verification of unjustified assets and the procedures for verifying and confiscating them. It consists of a total of 88 articles and 12 amendments proposed by the Responsible Reporting Committee. Based on the accompanying documents presented earlier, we can assess that the bill does not affect the rights and interests of communities in Kosovo in any way,” Rexhepi declared.
Alliance deputy Teuta Haxhiu said she would support the bill with her vote, although she considers it unconstitutional. She claimed that the government had shown no willingness to amend the articles so that the law would not be implemented.
Haxhiu: We will vote for it, even though we consider it unconstitutional
“This law has come before the Assembly several times. Although we are not a functional committee—that is, a committee that reviews or handles the amendments in question—from the first time I saw it, I thought that someone in this country was taking it seriously. But since this is my first time on this committee, I am saying that the government is not interested in such a law being adopted; it brings it forward only to say something to the public. I would truly like this law to be implemented, but well-known lawyers and professionals have clearly told me that it is unconstitutional. According to them, those in power are deliberately failing to amend the articles so that the law does not enter into force. We will vote for it every time it comes before us, because we have no reason to be afraid. Those in power are afraid, but I repeat: the law is unconstitutional, and the government is passing it in a form that prevents it from being implemented. For this reason, unfortunately, I once again say that it is unconstitutional, but we will still vote for it every time,” Haxhiu said.
Rexhepi responded that he could not determine whether the bill was contrary to the Constitution of Kosovo. He added that he would not vote in support of a law that conflicted with it.
Rexhepi: I cannot say whether the bill is contrary to the Constitution
“Regarding Deputy Haxhiu’s statement that this law or bill is contrary to the Constitution of Kosovo, I cannot establish or verify this. Nevertheless, in good conscience, I would never support a law that is contrary to the Constitution of Kosovo. At the moment, I cannot determine whether it conflicts or does not conflict with the articles of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo,” Rexhepi said.
