The heads of Albania’s courts have called for the immediate release of salaries owed to judges and judicial administration staff, urging authorities to implement a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court on the matter.

At a meeting held Tuesday, court presidents discussed the situation created by delays in processing salaries and the potential impact on the normal functioning of courts and the justice system.

In an institutional statement, the court heads said payment for work already performed is an obligation and described concerns among judicial administration employees as legitimate. They called for salaries to be processed without further delay, while stressing that staff reactions should not disrupt the continuity of court operations.

The court presidents also rejected claims that the judiciary had independently set its own salaries. They argued that the issue concerns the implementation of Constitutional Court Decision No. 15, dated February 17, 2026, which they described as final and legally binding.

According to the court heads, the withholding of salaries and differing interpretations of the ruling’s effects could undermine judicial independence and the normal functioning of the justice system.

“The protection of a judge’s salary is not an economic privilege, but one of the guarantees of judicial independence,” the court presidents said in their statement.

The dispute comes amid broader concerns over the financial and institutional conditions surrounding Albania’s judiciary and the implementation of decisions intended to safeguard its independence.