Sources within Greek Police have denied allegations of detaining and deporting the Albanian Judge, Irena Gjoka, according to Albanian media, Top Channel.
As per recent reports by various local media in Albania and Greece, back in 2002, Gjoka was arrested in Greece and banned from entering the Schengen area for 12 years, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
More specifically, Greek media Tanea reported that Irena Gjoka (referring to her as Irena Shpata) was detained for attempting to present forged documents with which she was trying to show that she has Greek origin.
Due to this reason, she was allegedly prohibited from entering the Schengen zone for 12 years. Additionally, her personal information, including her fingerprints, was recorded in the relevant database, as further reported by this media.
However, the Greek police have denied the allegations, as reported by Top Channel. According to sources within the Greek Police, two officers verified manual registers for the years specified in the article. They found no record of the mentioned names, noting that there is no measure of proceeding for the person in question.
The General Directorate of the Greek Police verified the entire electronic system, in which the persons with legal problems in the country are registered, and it turned out that the person in question with all the names and surnames mentioned in the writing of a Greek newspaper, it does not appear that there was or is a ban on entering Greece.
The Supreme Judicial Council of Albania (KLGJ) has also reacted regarding this case, stating the recent statements seriously harm the reputation and dignity of Judge Gjoka.
Through a press release, KLGJ said that these public statements in media are seen as an assault on judges due to their duty, aiming to compromise the independence of the judiciary.
At the same time, the Supreme Judicial Council considers that these attitudes not only negatively affect the public’s trust in the judicial power, but also create a wrong image of the activity of judges during the exercise of their duties with the aim of forcing them to give decisions contrary to principles of independence and impartiality.
Among other things, KLGJ has called upon all stakeholders to respect the judges and their dedication to reinforcing the rule of law. KLGJ further said that the judicial process must remain immune to any form of pressure or intervention from public or private entities.
