The Basic Court in Prizren has ordered that Ibish Çoçaj be held in pretrial detention on suspicion of document forgery and fraud. According to the allegations, he used a private business to issue professional diplomas, even though he had no accreditation or authorization for such an activity.

The pretrial detention measure was set for one month and, according to the court ruling, may last until September 18, 2026.

The case is linked to the activities of the sole proprietorship “Center for the Verification of Professional Skills,” through which Çoçaj allegedly organized training sessions in Prizren during 2021 and provided people with documents presented as valid professional training diplomas. According to the Court, the center was neither accredited nor authorized by the National Qualifications Authority to issue professional qualifications.

The Court stated that the evidence secured at this stage creates a grounded suspicion that criminal offenses were committed and that the legal grounds for imposing pretrial detention exist.

The suspicions concerning the forged documents relate to the period from January 4 to November 15, 2021. During this time, Çoçaj allegedly printed and distributed “Diplomas on Professional Training,” stating that the participants had successfully completed 900 hours of practical training and 400 hours of theory, as well as passed the final examination.

According to the Prosecution’s allegations, as described in the Court’s ruling, these documents were issued with the intention that they be used as original documents and to secure unlawful material benefit.

In its notice, the Court emphasized that Çoçaj allegedly offered people professional training by creating the false impression that he was issuing valid documents, and subsequently provided them with diplomas.

The actions of which he is suspected caused material damage to the injured parties. The Court announced that the monetary gain or damage caused is suspected to have exceeded 50,000 euros.

The criminal proceedings concern the offenses of “Forgery of Documents,” under Article 390, paragraph 1, and “Fraud,” under Article 323, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

Another reason taken into consideration for imposing pretrial detention is the need to secure additional evidence and prevent possible influence on people expected to testify.

According to the Court’s reasoning, there is a risk that the defendant could influence the injured parties in order to make them change their earlier statements.

The investigation is ongoing, and as part of it, additional material evidence is expected to be collected, the injured parties and witnesses interviewed, and the suspect’s statement taken.

The Court assessed that, given the seriousness of the criminal offenses and the suspected manner and circumstances in which they were committed, pretrial detention is necessary to ensure the unhindered conduct of the proceedings.

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