In the case of Thanza v. Albania the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to a fair trial and no violation of the right to respect for private and family life.

The case concerned the vetting of the applicant by the authorities, which had resulted in his dismissal from his post as a Supreme Court judge. The Court found that the applicant had not been given an adequate opportunity to defend himself as concerned his failure to disclose his contacts with organised-crime elements, and that the authorities’ reasoning had been inadequate and too formalistic as concerned the applicant’s failure to declare previous criminal proceedings against himself.

However there had been no shortcomings in the decision-making process relating to the assessment of the applicant’s assets that had served as a separate legal basis for his dismissal.

• Press release