The Ombudsperson published Recommendation Letter related to the Access to Financial Statements of Political Parties
The Ombudsperson has delivered today to the Central Election Commission (CEC) a Recommendation Letter related to the Access to Financial Statements and Expenditure Reports of some political parties.
The case has been initiated based on the complaint of the KDI’s representatives versus the CEC concerning Restriction of the Right to Access Public Documents.
KDI representatives, on 13 January 2017 addressed the Office for Political Party Registration and Certification at CEC with the request for access into Financial Statements and Expenditure Reports of some political parties.
The Ombudsperson Institution (OI) on 17 May 2017 requested from CEC to be informed on their failure to respond to the KDI’s request as well as the reason of restriction of the right to access public documents, but the response was never served.
Referring to the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo as well as International Instruments on Human Rights, the Law on Access to Public Documents, the practice of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and legal practice of the Kosovo Judicial System, as well as European Commission Report of 2016 for Kosovo, the Ombudsperson ascertained that restriction of KDI’s right to have access to public documents is a restriction that was made without any legal base.
On the other hand, the Ombudsperson’s recommendation was that CEC pursuant to the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo and the Law on Access to Public Documents provides KDI access to financial statements as well as Expenditure reports of political parties.
The given Recommendation Letter was forwarded to the CEC, as responsible authority and the same was disseminated to media and published on OI official webpage, at: http://www.ombudspersonkosovo.org/repository/docs/Letra_e_AP_2,_07.02.2018_981323.pdf