State Bureau bill goes to the government and then parliament, experts offer their assessments

On Saturday, Kosovo’s government approved the draft law on the State Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets and sent it to parliament for review.

The executive said the bill aims to establish and organize the Bureau, define its powers, and set out procedures for verifying and confiscating unjustified assets.

A government statement said the bill had been approved to define the establishment, organization and powers of the State Bureau, as well as the procedure to be followed for verifying and confiscating unjustified assets.

Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla said at a news conference that the bill followed a lengthy drafting and review process, during which assessments by relevant institutions and comments from civil society were taken into account.

“The submission to parliament of the law on the Bureau is also extremely good news. Since the previous mandate, it has undergone several minor changes and was reopened for public consultation. The draft law submitted to parliament should be seen as the result of an entire process: it was drafted and reviewed in several stages, assessed by the Venice Commission, reviewed by the Constitutional Court and amended based on its findings. It was then reopened for public consultation, with civil society comments largely incorporated,” Gërvalla said.

Gërvalla explained that the Bureau would not make the final decision on asset confiscation, as that authority rests with the court.

“This law does not create a criminal mechanism, and the Bureau does not confiscate assets. The draft law provides for civil proceedings before a court, with defined standards of proof and the right to appeal. The Bureau performs preparatory and analytical work: it collects, analyzes and verifies data and, if it determines that the legal conditions have been met, brings the case before a court. It does not decide on confiscation itself. The final decision on asset confiscation is made exclusively by the court,” the minister said.

Experts stress that fighting corruption is important, but the bill must comply with the Constitution and establish a mechanism that can work in practice. They say outcomes depend on how institutions function and on the concrete implementation of laws.

Halilaj: Parliament must complete the procedure for the Confiscation Bureau

Lawyer Gazmend Halilaj, speaking to “Bota sot,” described the bill’s submission as an important step. He recalled that the initiative has already passed its first reading in parliament.

“As a lawyer, I consider the submission by the Prime Minister’s Office of the draft law on the State Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets to be an important step.

The draft law has already passed its first reading in parliament, while the next steps must follow parliamentary and constitutional rules.

After being submitted by the government, the text goes through the relevant reviews and is then considered by parliamentary committees. Possible amendments are examined there before it proceeds to a second reading in a plenary session,” Halilaj said.

He noted that before proceeding to the next stages, the draft law must be brought into line with constitutional standards.

“It is important that legal and constitutional concerns are properly addressed. Therefore, reviewing the draft law and aligning it with constitutional standards are essential before the procedure continues.

The substantive aim is to create an institutional mechanism that verifies unjustified assets and strengthens the fight against corruption. The Bureau is not a court and does not make the final decision on confiscation; that is done by the court, in accordance with legal procedures,” he added.

Halilaj described the initiative as a reform that demands serious consideration, given that it seeks greater transparency and accountability regarding unjustified assets.

“This reform deserves serious attention because it aims to establish higher standards of transparency and accountability regarding unjustified assets.

Beyond the political debates, what matters is that the process is completed in a constitutional and legal manner, and that the mechanism created is genuinely functional.

Anti-corruption reforms and efforts to strengthen institutional accountability should be supported when they are based on sound legal foundations.

Now it is up to parliament to complete the procedure and deliver its final verdict,” Halilaj told “Bota sot.”

Burjani proposes panel of international judges and prosecutors

Blerim Burjani discussed the draft law in an interview with “Bota sot,” expressing concerns about how organized crime and illegally acquired wealth have been tackled so far.

“With this infrastructure, Kosovo has never yet fought organized crime or the millionaires who have amassed wealth illegally,” he said.

Burjani said a special panel of judges and prosecutors assigned to corruption cases could be one way to achieve concrete results.

He also suggested involving international judges and prosecutors, seeing this as a way to handle corruption cases more effectively.

“The only hope of achieving results would be a panel of international judges and prosecutors. There is no one here to deal with this, so there is nothing to comment on,” Burjani concluded in remarks to “Bota sot.”