Former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, has reacted after the decision to release him from prison, while he will continue the security measure of "house arrest".
Through a statement published by his lawyer, Ermal Yzeiraj, Beqaj has denied the charges against him and stated that his detention was unjustified.
"In the capacity of Mr. Ilir Beqaj's lawyer and at his request, below is his public statement:
The end of unjustified detention!
Yesterday there was a lot of news that the court had released me from prison.
In fact, to this day, I have never been a prisoner. A prisoner is a person convicted by a final court decision.
I have been in detention for 25 months, as part of a SPAK investigation. I have also been a defendant by SPAK for 16 months, but, to date, I have not received any sentence, not even in the first instance.
The court ruled yesterday that my detention was no longer based on the provisions of criminal procedure. The legal deadlines for detention had expired, which made the detention decision of 03.07.2024 invalid. This fact was also accepted by the representative of the prosecution.
Yesterday's decision was preceded by a decision by the preliminary hearing judge, issued a few days ago. In that decision, it was reasoned that the arguments and evidence presented by the prosecution were insufficient to continue the trial.
In fact, I have been unjustly detained for the past 15 months. I am accused as a high-ranking official, in violation of the Constitution, the Code of Criminal Procedure, three court decisions issued directly in my case, and the jurisprudence of the Criminal Court of Kosovo.
I served for three and a half years as Minister of Health and for two years as Director General of SASPAC.
I currently have three criminal proceedings pending before SPAK, with investigations that, taken together, last for 16 years: 6.5 + 6.5 + 3. However, I still have no conviction, not even in the first instance. During all these investigations, not a single penny or cent has been found to indicate that my wealth has increased illegally, as a result of actions or inactions related to my state duties.
Today I am happy to be with my family. I am also pleased that, starting in September, I will no longer participate in criminal proceedings from a security cage and will have access to the electronic version of the investigative files. These rights, guaranteed by the European Convention, the Constitution and criminal procedural legislation, have been unlawfully denied to me by the courts, the prosecution and the prison administration.
I invite anyone who has the opportunity to continue the battle for these causes, because they serve due process and equality of arms.
I found out that Dr. Berisha had also sent me greetings yesterday.
I won't answer him here, because in the fall I will give him the opportunity to say even more, when he comes as a witness in the process for the concession of surgical instruments.
