Judges who have been dismissed during the review process by the Independent Qualifications Commission (KPK) in Albania and remain suspended are costing the country's public treasury dearly. According to the annual report of the Supreme Judicial Council of Albania for 2024, the total financial cost from the start of the review process until December 31, 2024 amounts to hundreds of millions of lek.
The report states that, within the framework of the transitional review, 113 final decisions dismissing judges have been issued by the Special Court of Appeal (KPA), of which 24 were issued in 2024 alone.
It is noted that, since the beginning of the process, the KPK has dismissed a total of 144 judges, with a total financial cost of 965.7 million lek (9.65 million euros) by the end of 2024. In 2024 alone, seven judges were dismissed by decision of the KPK, while the decision of the Special Court of Appeal is pending. Until the process is completed, they retain the title of judge due to suspension and receive 75% of their initial gross salary, as provided for by Albanian law. The cost of this situation for 2024 is estimated at 11.9 million lek (119 thousand euros).
In total, for 2024, 60 judges have been dismissed by the KPK and are awaiting the decision of the KPA, continuing to be paid 75% of their salary. The burden on the state from this situation amounts to 140.9 million lek (140 thousand euros).
The report notes that, as of December 31, 2024, there are Another 33 dismissed judges who will await the 2025 Process, under the same suspension and remuneration regime.
According to the Albanian Human Resources Directorate, the vacant positions in the judiciary amount to 136, of which 75 are permanent and 61 are temporary.
In 2024, a total of 272 judges were actively serving at all levels of the judiciary in Albania, meaning that the system operated at 66.6% of its capacity. This represents an increase of 6.6% compared to 2023, when 247 judges were in active service.
