Toward a more transparent and accessible judiciary, July 8, 2020
Pristina, July 8, 2020 – The court service fees and criminal fines calculators will be online on Kosovo’s Judicial Council (KJC) website as of today. The innovative, easy-to-use calculators enable Kosovo’s citizens to estimate the costs of service fees and criminal fines from the convenience of home. Supported by USAID through the Justice System Strengthening Program, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development (OPDAT) and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), these efforts make Kosovo Judiciary more accessible to its citizens.
The court fee calculator, developed by USAID, helps citizens anticipate fees for civil cases with just a few clicks, eliminating the need to rely on an attorney to determine costs. The criminal fine calculator sponsored by INL and OPDAT, serves as an aid for judges to determine the criminal fines and enables citizens to understand the methodology judges use to issue them. It is based on the recently adopted Supreme Court Guidelines and the provisions of the Criminal Code.
The launch of the calculators is a part of a series of features on the Kosovo Judicial Council website developed by USAID’s Justice System Strengthening Program to increase judicial transparency and citizen access to justice. Additional Kosovo Judicial Council website features include the court judgment database, judge disciplinary complaints, and performance dashboard. USAID’s Justice System Strengthening Program is a five-year rule of law activity that focuses on promoting a judicial system adhering to high standards of independence, impartiality, integrity, accountability, and transparency.
