FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Tirana is facing a difficult functional situation, where the institution itself admits that current conditions are not in line with the requirements of service to citizens.
In an official response to the "National Association of Media and Justice", it is clearly stated that: "currently the infrastructural conditions do not meet the functional needs of the Court and service to citizens."
This situation comes at a time when the Appeals Court functions as a court with general jurisdiction for the entire country, dealing with a high volume of cases with limited capacity.
The court also suffered a negative impact due to the prolonged delays in the adjudication of criminal and civil cases. But what sealed the failure of this court and the justice system in Albania was precisely the murder in the courtroom of a member of this court, Judge Astrit Kalaja.
Record workload and lack of judges
The most prominent problem is related to the caseload and the lack of judges.
According to official data, at the end of 2025 the stock of untried cases reached 45,876, while "the workload for each judge is on average around 1,700 cases."
At the same time, the court is functioning with only half of its staff. “The Court’s staff… consists of 78 judges, currently 39 judges are in office,” the document states, highlighting the huge gap in human resources.
The institution links this situation to the appointment and re-evaluation processes in the justice system, emphasizing that filling vacancies is an ongoing process.
Meanwhile, infrastructure remains one of the most problematic points. The court admits that it has only 8 courtrooms, while the conditions for serving citizens are even more limited.
"Due to the lack of infrastructure, the information office currently serves in the surrounding areas of the building, with two counters with service from the outside," the response states.
The document also highlights the lack of special facilities for confidential meetings: "there is no special facility in the court for a lawyer to meet with his arrested client . "
These elements show a reality where service to citizens takes place in improvised conditions and far from the required standards.
Limited service for citizens
Despite this picture, the Court of Appeals emphasizes that measures are being taken to improve the situation. “The responsible institutions have continued the procedures for the gradual filling of vacancies… in order to guarantee the normal functioning of judicial activity,” the document states.
However, the lack of concrete deadlines and the high level of pending cases indicate that the crisis remains deep and has a direct impact on citizens, who continue to face long delays in receiving justice.
Reforma e palloshit qe do te rregullonte sistemin e drejtesise, ai eshte i mire per te mashtruar popullin injorant, por jo per te rregulluar sistemin.