Kosovo’s Court of Appeals has rejected as ungrounded the appeal of the defense lawyer of the defendant, Xhabir Zharku, against its decision on imposing one month of detention.

According to the announcement of the court, the decision of the Basic Court in Ferizaj, from 15 December 2019, the measure of detention will last until 13 January next year.

According to the prosecution, former mayor of Kacanik is suspected for two offenses, for the “abuse of the official duty and of the authority.

The Court of Appeals found that the first instance court has rightly concluded that there is a well-grounded suspicion that the defendant has committed criminal offenses in question, and thus has a legal basis for extension of the detention, in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, believing that, he may flee upon his release, in order to avoid criminal proceedings, or to influence evidence or witnesses, in order to obstruct its normal course.

In a previous case (in 2012), former mayor of Kacanik, Xhabir Zharku, after being convicted in Kosovo simply left the country, went to Sweden, and therefore did not serve his prison sentence at all.