The Appeals Court upholds the sentence for lawyer Arben Lena

The Special Appeals Court upheld the decision of the Special Court of First Instance, confirming the sentence for the former head of the Bar Association of Korça, Arben Lena. He, along with several other individuals, attempted to bribe a judge from the Court of Appeals in Korça with a sum of 5,000 euros. According to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Arben Lena attempted to influence the appellate judges to release his client, Bledar Koziçi, who was arrested for trafficking refugees, from pretrial detention.

Lena was part of a group of five individuals who attempted to carry out this bribery in cooperation, using unlawful influence over public officials. For this action, he and the other members of the group were found guilty of the criminal offense of “Exercising unlawful influence over persons who perform public functions.”

The Special Court of First Instance sentenced Arben Lena to three years in prison, but due to a shortened trial, his sentence was reduced to two years. Additionally, he lost his right to practice as a lawyer for a period of three years.

The other members of the group, Nikolla Hafësllari and Nikolla Jesku, were also sentenced, each to one year in prison due to the shortened trial. Dajana Kodra, another defendant, was sentenced to two years in prison, but after the shortened trial, her sentence was reduced to one year and four months, and she was given a probation period of two years and eight months, with the condition that she commit no further crimes during this time.

Blerand Kozici and Artiana Kozici, two other individuals involved in this case, were also sentenced, each to prison time, but with shorter sentences due to the shortened trial. In the case of Artiana Kozici, her sentence was suspended, and she was placed on probation for a specific period.

Meanwhile, Dritan Tabaku was acquitted by the court of the charge of “Failure to Report a Crime,” as there was no evidence to support the prosecutor’s claims.

This case is another example of the fight against corruption in the justice system and demonstrates the authorities’ commitment to punishing any attempt at corruption, especially when figures such as lawyers abuse their positions.

CREATED by:

“KORÇA BOOM”