The Supreme Court of Kosovo has rejected as unfounded a request for protection of legality filed in a case involving a suspected organized criminal group accused of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The decision was taken by a panel of the Supreme Court in the criminal case against 20 defendants, who are suspected of participating in or organizing an organized criminal group involved in narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
According to the Supreme Court, based on the evidence obtained at this stage, there is reasonable suspicion that the defendants committed the criminal offenses they are charged with, while the final determination of guilt will be made during the trial proceedings.
In its reasoning, the Court emphasized that there are sufficient legal grounds for continuing detention, referring to evidence collected during investigations, including communications obtained through international legal cooperation, communication transcripts, and contacts between the suspects.The Supreme Court also assessed that there is a risk of the defendants fleeing, taking into account the seriousness of the criminal offenses, the potential penalties prescribed by law, as well as suspicions that some of them used false identities or changed their identity to evade authorities.
It further stated that if released, the suspects could influence co-defendants, coordinate testimonies, or obstruct the administration of evidence.
