Press Release
The General Prosecutor has established the temporary structure regarding the local elections of May 14-th and has also issued a circular to each prosecution office to undertake the neccessary measures
Today, the General Prosecutor Olsian Çela has issued the circular "On administrative and procedural measures in the prosecution offices of general jurisdiction about the elections for local government bodies on May 14, 2023”. He, also, issued the Order on "The appointment of the staff for the implementation of the amended general instruction no. 3/2019, on the elections of local government bodies on May 2023"
The General Prosecutor, by means of this circular, requests the heads of the prosecution offices at the court districts that starting from April 14, 2023, which according to the law is the beginning of the election campaign until the announcement of the final result by the CEC, to take measures for the organization and management of the reinforced readiness in the prosecution offices that they run.
On the other hand, the heads of the prosecutions and the prosecutors should assess and prioritise optimally, each reporting for criminal offenses that affect free elections and the election democratic system or any other criminal offense that damages the electoral process, for conducting proactive investigations, and/or using special investigation tools according to the law, as well as increasing the intensity of investigations for these groups of criminal offenses.
According to the circular, the prosecutors in the requests for the assignment of personal security measures and for the assignment of punishment measures regarding these criminal offenses should assess both the type of personal security measures, as well as the type of punishment measures about criminal offenses regarding elections, which are more widespread and with an increasing trend at national level, or in the administrative units within the territorial competence of the district court where this prosecution exercises its functions.
Meanwhile, the relevant structure in the General Prosecution Office, the heads of the prosecution offices and the prosecutor in charge of public relations in each prosecution office shpould take all the necessary measures to ensure and exchange information as well as forwarding it to the Election Centeral Commission.