Hearing against Thaçi and co-defendants continues in The Hague, closing submissions presented today

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague will hold the next hearing today in the case against former President Hashim Thaçi and four other individuals accused of criminal offenses against the administration of justice.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. local time in Kosovo, while the parties will present their final responses and comments.

In addition to Thaçi, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi are also defendants in the trial.

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office has requested that Hashim Thaçi be sentenced to six years in prison. For Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj and Fadil Fazliu, it has requested sentences of three years in prison each, while for Hajredin Kuçi it has requested a sentence of nine months.

The defense teams have opposed these requests, asking the court to acquit all the defendants.

During the closing statement, Thaçi’s lawyer, Sophie Menegon, said that there had been no group formed with the aim of obstructing justice. She also questioned the evidence used by the Prosecution to support the charges.

The defense argued that the actions attributed to Thaçi had no impact on the judicial process. According to the defense, the former president is accused of attempting to interfere, rather than of committing a completed criminal offense.

All the defense teams have now completed their final submissions, asking the Single Judge to acquit all the defendants on every count of the indictment.

With the parties’ statements concluded, the case is expected to enter the decision-making phase before the Single Judge.