It has been 50 days since the judges of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague withdrew to deliberate on the final judgment in the case against Special Court Judges Have 40 Days Left Until Final Verdict in the Case of H.Thaqi,J.Krasniqi,K.Veseli,R.Selimi.
According to the Court’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence, judges have 90 days to deliver a verdict, except in extraordinary circumstances when they may request an additional 60 days.
Since the trial ended on February 19, and up to April 9, exactly 50 days have passed. This means there are 40 days remaining for the judges to issue their decision, according to reports by Nacionale.
Based on the timeline, the final possible date for the verdict—if no extension is requested—is May 19.
So far, the Specialist Chambers have not confirmed any request for additional time from the judges, meaning the 90-day deadline remains in force.
“As you know, the Trial Panel has up to 90 days to deliver a judgment, and if more time is needed, these 90 days can be extended. Based on the public filings, there is currently no decision or filing indicating that additional time will be requested,” the Specialist Chambers stated in a response to Nacionale.
The Court’s rules also state that judges decide on each charge separately and may extend the deadline by up to 60 additional days in rare cases, if strictly necessary.
Even after the trial concluded, the prosecution submitted new materials in March. The defense of Hashim Thaçi objected, but the judges ruled in favor of the prosecution, stating that the materials did not constitute new evidence relevant to the proceedings.
Despite the completion of the process, the former KLA leaders remain in detention.
