Salary deadlock: Judges file criminal complaint against Finance Minister Petrit Malaj

Judges have filed a criminal complaint over the failure to pay judges’ and prosecutors’ salaries for August 2026. The complaint calls on the prosecution service to investigate the circumstances and identify the person or persons who made, communicated or implemented the decision that resulted in the salaries not being paid.

Finance Minister Petrit Malaj is among those named in the complaint.

The complaint emphasizes that the situation affects not just one magistrate, but a considerable number of judges and prosecutors across the country.

According to the complaint, the aim is for the prosecution service to establish individual responsibility for the specific actions or omissions that led to the failure to pay the salaries. The judges also clarify that the criminal complaint does not seek to replace the administrative, judicial or institutional remedies available for resolving disputes over how salaries are calculated.

They emphasize that the initiative is not intended to put pressure on any state institution to achieve a specific financial outcome, but solely to have the legality of the actions that led to the blocking of the salaries verified through criminal proceedings.

“Through this complaint, we ask you to consider the factual circumstances and the reasoning concerning your jurisdiction, as well as the criminal liability of those named in the complaint for the criminal offenses set out in its subject matter.
This complaint is being filed because of the situation created by the failure to pay judges’ and prosecutors’ salaries for August 2026, a situation that affects not a single magistrate, but a considerable number of judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Albania.
The complaint is being filed so that the prosecution service can identify the person or persons who made, communicated or implemented the specific decision that resulted in the salaries not being paid.
This complaint does not seek to replace the administrative, judicial or institutional remedies for resolving disputes concerning how salaries are calculated, nor is it intended to put pressure on any state institution to achieve a specific financial outcome. Its sole purpose is the criminal investigation of the legality of the specific actions or omissions that led to the failure to pay the salaries and the determination of individual responsibility under the law,” the complaint states.