The Court of Appeals has annulled the liberation of the three Obilic municipal officials, accused of misuse of official office or authority, turning the case into retrial at the Constitutional Court in Pristina.
It is Merita Simnica, Burim Grgurin and Ibrahim Krasniqi, who on July 24th 2025 had been acquitted of corruption by the Constitutional Court in Pristina.
However, following the Pristina Constitutional Prosecutor’s complaint, the Court of Appeals has found that the free trial contains essential violations of criminal procedure provisions and has not been sufficiently justified.
Apel’s decision has been compiled on September 17th 2026, while the first degree act of prejudice has been annulled, and the case has returned for retrial and deployment.
According to the ruling, the College of the Court of Appeals, led by Judge Mentor Hajra, with members Skender Chocaj and Dzevdet Abazi, has estimated that the prosecution’s complaints are based.
The appeal has found that the Constitutional Court has not provided clear and sufficient reasons regarding the crucial facts and assessment of the evidence administered during the trial.
In the second degree, the complaining bias is legally unstable, as the description of the actual situation is unclear, while there are no reasons needed for the court’s conclusions.
What are the three municipal officials charged with?
According to the indictment, filed on September 30th 2020 by prosecutor Merriushe Llugqi, the accused are allegedly misusing their official positions in connection with changing land destination and allowing construction in the Obilic municipality.
Merita Simnica, in the quality of the chief of the Directorate for Urban Planning, Property, Geodezee and Kadast, along with the former director of this directorate, Arben Berisha, were accused of acting contrary to legal provisions, enabling wealth benefits for other persons.
According to the prosecution, on April 3rd 2019 construction permits had been issued for the mobile plant éBertoı, owned by Blerim Krasniqi, although the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development had refused the requirement for changing land from agricultural to inhospitable.
Meanwhile, Burim Grguri, in the quality of Obilic’s Municipal Assembly leader, is accused of having signed a decision on changing the Earth’s destination on December 26, 2018, despite the Ministry of Agriculture’s refusal decision.
The prosecution claims this decision had been brought against the Law on Agricultural Land, relevant administrative instruction and municipal and urban development plan 2009,2020.
On the other hand, Ibrahim Krasniqi, in the quality of the construction inspector in the Obilic municipality, is accused of not taking legal measures to cut construction without permission during 2017 and 2018.
According to the indictment, it’s business objects. The SB Construction, been-1л and “Berto” allegedly allowed to continue the work without proper permits.
One of the accused had pleaded guilty
The same indictment included Arben Berisha, former director of the Directorate for Urban Planning, Property, Geodezi and Kadastre in the Obilic municipality.
Berisha had pleaded guilty to the initial session held on February 15th 2021, while the Constitutional Court in Pristina had sentenced him to three months in prison and 600 euros in fines.
Unlike Berisha, the other three indictees were acquitted in July 2025.
With the new Court of Appeals ruling, the acquittal act towards Simnica, Grgur and Krasniqi does not remain in force, while the case will again be considered by the Constitutional Court in Pristina.
Returning the case to the retrial does not imply guilty pleas of the accused, but reviewing the criminal case and testing by the court in the first degree.
Note: Those who are referred to in this article are represented innocent until their guilt is proved by court – form decision.
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/Gazeta Sinjali/
Source Layer: Signal
