Arianit Salihu, a Prosecutor for Serious Crimes, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Basic Prosecution in Prishtina. His appointment was confirmed on Thursday during the 290th meeting of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPK), with 5 votes in favor, none against, and no abstentions. The recommendation to the KPK for Salihu’s appointment was submitted by Chief Prosecutor Zejnullah Gashi.
According to his CV, Salihu has over 16 years of experience in Kosovo’s justice system. He began his career in 2010 at the Anti-Corruption Agency as a senior official for investigations and strategy. He later joined the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor (ZPD) as a senior judicial inspector, reports Betimi për Drejtësi.
In February 2018, he became the head of the ZPD, during a period when legal changes restructured accountability mechanisms within the judicial and prosecutorial system.
Since July 2019, Salihu has been part of the prosecutorial system, initially as a prosecutor at the Basic Prosecution in Prishtina.
In February 2024, he was appointed head of the General Department at the Basic Prosecution in Prishtina. In July 2024, he advanced to the position of Serious Crimes Prosecutor, focusing on investigations of economic crimes and corruption. Salihu has also attended professional training in areas including asset seizure and confiscation, specialized judicial training on electronic evidence, and cyber awareness for prosecutors.
During the 290th KPK meeting, four regulations were also approved, amended according to legal changes that came into effect last year. Among the amended regulations were: the Regulation on the Organization and Activities of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, and the Regulation on the Budget, Finance, and Administration of Prosecutor’s Offices, among others.
Permanent commissions of the KPK were also established, including the Commission for Normative Issues, chaired by Visar Krasniqi with four members: Veton Shabani, Naim Abazi, Bahri Hyseni, and Valdrin Krasniqi.
The establishment of the Commission for Prosecutor Evaluation was also discussed, with Elza Bajrami-Kastrati as chair and Milot Krasniqi as deputy chair. However, Milot Krasniqi declined the deputy chair position, citing that the KPK chair had taken a dismissive approach and that the position was undervalued.
KPK Chair Arian Gashi stated that the KPK is not a “fountain of wishes” and that the deputy chair proposal is a legal matter. Following Krasniqi’s refusal, the discussion on the topic was postponed until confirmations from all prosecutions were received regarding their commission nominations. The PSRK and the Gjakova Prosecution had not sent nominations.
Additionally, the Commission for Budget, Finance, and Administration of Prosecutor’s Offices was established. Milot Krasniqi again refused to serve as chair, and Dardan Vuniqi was temporarily proposed and voted in as chair. Sabahate Sinani and Ersan Qavolli were voted as members of this commission.
The extraordinary six-month transfers of two prosecutors to Mitrovica were also continued due to the shortage of prosecutors at the Basic Prosecution in Mitrovica.
Elza Bajrami-Kastrati responded to Milot Krasniqi’s claims of tendentious decisions, stating that the new KPK members do not operate with the bias seen in the previous mandate. Krasniqi had argued that tendentious actions occurred regarding the proposed replacement of a member of the Appeals Commission under the Law on Classified Information.
After the discussions, Visar Krasniqi was approved, with four votes in favor, to serve as a member of the Appeals Commission under the Law on Classified Information.
