Democratic Party MP Ivi Kaso has warned that the ongoing standoff between Albania’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) and the Albanian Bar Association could have serious consequences for the country’s justice system, including the potential release of high-profile suspects due to the expiration of legal detention deadlines.

Speaking at the Parliamentary Committee on Citizen Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight, Kaso expressed concern that the lawyers’ boycott of GJKKO proceedings could undermine citizens’ access to timely justice and disrupt judicial processes involving individuals suspected of organized crime and high-level corruption.

Kaso cautioned that prolonged delays could affect pretrial detention deadlines and security measures imposed on suspects, potentially allowing individuals targeted by Albania’s justice reform to be released on procedural grounds.

“We must not be forced to stand by as powerless spectators to a spectacle of their release, simply because procedural deadlines have expired,” Kaso said, referring to individuals suspected of organized crime and high-level corruption.

The opposition lawmaker called for an immediate response to the impasse, urging the High Council of Justice (KLGJ), the governing body of the judiciary, to make full use of its legal powers to help resolve the dispute.

While acknowledging the council’s existing position, Kaso stressed that the scale of the crisis required a proactive approach and collective attention beyond political divisions.

He also highlighted broader concerns over the performance of institutions established under Albania’s judicial reform, particularly the KLGJ and the High Prosecutorial Council (KLP).

The dispute between GJKKO and the Albanian Bar Association has raised concerns over the continuity of court proceedings and the potential implications for cases involving some of Albania’s most prominent criminal and corruption suspects.