The Court Against Organized Crime and Corruption (GJKKO) disclosed the closed-door hearing for former prime minister Sali Berisha. 

After the departure of lawyers Gjokutaj and Mengjesi from the hearing, GJKKO has appointed a new lawyer and Sali Berisha will now be represented by Artan Simoni. 

In the announcement distributed by the office to the media, it is emphasized that Sali Berisha's lawyers, Genc Gjokutaj and Sokol Mengjesi, requested to receive clarification of the past sessions, while they requested that the case of the former prime minister be sent for interpretation to the Constitutional Court. 

It is known that GJKKO rejected the request of two lawyers, to send the case to the Constitutional Court, while it is known that Gjokutaj and Mêngjesi requested the dismissal of judge Irena Gjoka. 

The official announcement of GJKKO: 

- On 25.10.2023, at 2:30 p.m., in the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime, a court session was opened for the continuation of the examination of the request presented by the Special Prosecutor's Office, with the purpose of questioning the citizen under investigation Sali Berisha. 

- The court, after verifying the presence of the parties, concluded that the investigator Sali Berisha had not appeared in person and that his 2 defenders had appeared, chosen with a special power of attorney, Mr. Sokol Mengjesi and Mr. Genc Gjokutaj. 

- On the part of the defenders, 2 requests were submitted, specifically: For making available the copies of the acts of the preliminary investigations filed by the proceeding body, the CD-audio of the previous court session and its transcription, and at the same time they requested the sending of case to the Constitutional Court for an incidental trial, related to the interpretation of Article 73, point 2 of the Constitution. 

- After the court retired to the consultation room, it ruled as follows regarding the requests submitted by the chosen defenders of the investigated Sali Berisha: 

Regarding the request for making available the copies of the acts of the preliminary investigations filed by the proceeding body, the court has decided in the previous court session of 24.10.2023, by which their request for the recognition of the acts was accepted and at the same time receive their copies in accordance with article 105, 110 and 248, point 1 of the Penal Code. 

Accepted the request for making available the CD-audio of the previous court session and its transcription, against the respective fees. 

Dismissed the request to send the case to the Constitutional Court for an incidental trial, related to the interpretation of Article 73, point 2 of the Constitution. 

- On the part of the defenders, Sokol Mengjesi and Genc Gjokutaj, it was announced that they submitted a request for the exclusion of judge Irena Gjoka from the trial of the case and in these conditions they left the courtroom, declaring that they cannot fulfil an effective defence. 

- The court announced that in the first court session, in the conditions that it was not aware of the choice of a defence counsel by the investigated Sali Berisha, referring mainly to the list of lawyers, it ordered the notification of the lawyer Artan Simoni, informing him lastly to appear at the chief secretary of this court to familiarize himself with the documents in advance, in the event that on the part of the investigated Sali Berisha, the choice of a defender would not be made. 

- After receiving the opinion of the prosecutors, under the conditions that the 2 lawyers chosen by the investigated Sali Berisha, av. Sokol Mêngjesi and av. Genc Gjokutaj left the courtroom, based on article 6, 48 and 248 of K. For criminal cases, the court decided to appoint mainly the lawyer Artan Simoni, a member of the Tirana Local Chamber of Advocacy, in defense of the legal interests of the investigated Sali Berisha. 

- The court stopped the judicial review for a few minutes, waiting for the arrival of the lawyer Artan Simoni, for the continuation of the court session.