Former EULEX Judge Wants to Reveal ‘Wrongdoings’ to Kosovo Assembly

A former chief judge for the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, Malcolm Simmons, has asked to tell the Kosovo Assembly about the alleged wrongdoings he said he witnessed in his time in office, the head of Kosovo Parliamentary Commission on Legislation, Shkemb Manaj, told BIRN on Wednesday.

"Simmons has requested the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry to deal with international justice in Kosovo, respectively with the issues that have been addressed in EULEX, and has expressed readiness to participate as a witness if this potential inquiry commission is established," Manaj told BIRN.

He said that his letter, which the Kosovo media outlet Express says was sent to parliament in July, was discussed on Wednesday at the Parliamentary Commission on Legislation.

"If the media reports are true, this will not be the first time Simmons has tried to present his own, one-sided, and uncorroborated version of alleged wrongdoings during his time as a judge at the EU Rule of Law Mission," EULEX Press Office told BIRN.

Simmons resigned abruptly as a judge in 2017 after being appointed in 2014. He then made a string of accusations against EULEX, which then revealed that Simmons himself was the subject of several investigations into alleged wrongdoing.

According to his letter, published by Express, Simmons says he witnessed multiple cases of misconduct that would prove that individuals responsible for the administration of justice illegally interfered with justice in Kosovo.

he said he would give evidence about matters that included "interference in criminal investigations; threats made to protective witnesses; inducements given to protected witnesses; manipulation of trial panels; attempts to interfere in criminal...