The Constitutional Court of Kosovo will hold a public online hearing today, to address the request of the opposition Vetevendosje on the Government led by Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, which they claim is unconstitutional due to the vote of an MP who was convicted of corruption.
Etem Arifi, an MP with the Ashkali Party for Integration, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in April 2018 for appropriating €26,000 through an NGO.
He was due to start his sentence on 9 March 2020, but the court postponed it twice by four months in total due to his poor health. A third similar request was rejected in early July.
In August, a Pristina court issued an arrest warrant against Arifi, but he gave himself up on September 29.
Despite having been sentenced to prison with a final verdict, Arifi voted Hoti government on June 3. His vote was decisive in the forming of the current government, who received only 61 votes in the 120-seat parliament, the minimum number of votes required.
Whether the Government led by Hoti will be still on duty or fall, is depended on the decision expected to be taken by the Constitutional Court.
When asked about the hearing, Hoti stated on Tuesday that his only worry was managing the pandemic situation in Kosovo.
