Article 3- Composition

1. The court for serious crimes is composed of a chief judge, an assistant chief judge and judges, appointed for a 9-year term.

2. Candidacies for vacancies on courts for serious crimes and on courts of appeal for serious crimes are reviewed by the High Council of Justice and the decision to propose their appointment to the President of the Republic is made by a majority of the votes of all members of this Council.

3. Upon their request and with the proposal of the High Council of Justice, the judges of the courts for serious crimes and of the courts of appeal for serious crimes may be re-appointed to this position.

4. Regardless of the completion of the 9-year term, the judges of the courts for serious crimes and of the courts of appeal for serious crimes remain in their positions until the appointment of their successors.

5. Upon completion of the term, at their request, the judges of the courts for serious crimes and of the courts of appeal for serious crimes have the right to be appointed:

a) to their previous judicial office;

b) to vacancies on other courts in the judicial system, receiving priority over other candidates.

6. The judges of the courts for serious crimes and of the courts of appeal for serious crimes continue to receive their salary and other benefits even after the completion of the 9-year term of their mandate on these courts, when they continue to perform duties in the judicial system.

7. Salaries and other benefits according to section 6 of this article shall also be enjoyed by judges who, for reasonable motives, leave this office before the end of the 9-year term, on the condition that their departure not be the result of disciplinary proceedings against them. In any case, the High Council of Justice, according to concrete circumstances, may place some conditions or limitations on the further enjoyment of the salary and other benefits, respectively, of a judge of the court for serious crimes or of the court of appeal for serious crimes .

Article 4- Criteria for appointment of judges

1. The appointment of the judges of the courts for serious crimes is done according to the conditions set in article 24 of law nr. 8436 dated 28 December 1998 “On the Organization of the Judicial Power in the Republic of Albania.

2. Persons who were removed from being a judge as a disciplinary measure may not compete for vacant places in the courts for serious crimes and the courts of appeal for serious crimes.

3. Judges who have been given a disciplinary measure other than that mentioned in section 2 of this article may compete only after two years have passed from the day the punishment was concluded.

Article 6- Composition of the judicial body

1. Courts for serious crimes and courts of appeal for serious crimes judge in a judicial body composed of five judges.

2. When a judicial body cannot be formed for objective reasons or a legal impediment, with the proposal of the Minister of Justice on the request of the chairman of the court, the High Council of Justice designates judges of other courts for serious crimes or of the courts of appeal for serious crimes, as well as judges of other courts, to complete the judicial body, on the condition that they meet the criteria provided in article 4 section 1 of this law.

Article 36
Qualifications, nomination and election of judges
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2, there shall be 18 judges of the Court.

2. (a) The Presidency, acting on behalf of the Court, may propose an increase in the number of judges specified in paragraph 1, indicating the reasons why this is considered necessary and appropriate. The Registrar shall promptly circulate any such proposal to all States Parties.
(b) Any such proposal shall then be considered at a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to be convened in accordance with article 112. The proposal shall be considered adopted if approved at the meeting by a vote of two thirds of the members of the Assembly of States Parties and shall enter into force at such time as decided by the Assembly of States Parties.
(c) (i) Once a proposal for an increase in the number of judges has been adopted under subparagraph (b), the election of the additional judges shall take place at the next session of the Assembly of States Parties in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 8, and article 37, paragraph 2;
(ii) Once a proposal for an increase in the number of judges has been adopted and brought into effect under subparagraphs (b) and (c) (i), it shall be open to the Presidency at any time thereafter, if the workload of the Court justifies it, to propose a reduction in the number of judges, provided that the number of judges shall not be reduced below that specified in paragraph 1. The proposal shall be dealt with in accordance with the procedure laid down in subparagraphs (a) and (b). In the event
that the proposal is adopted, the number of judges shall be progressively decreased as the terms of office of serving judges expire, until the necessary number has been reached.

3. (a) The judges shall be chosen from among persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who possess the qualifications required in their respective States for appointment to the highest judicial offices.
(b) Every candidate for election to the Court shall:
(i) Have established competence in criminal law and procedure, and the necessary relevant experience, whether as judge, prosecutor, advocate or in other similar capacity, in criminal proceedings; or
(ii) Have established competence in relevant areas of international law such as international humanitarian law and the law of human rights, and extensive experience in a professional legal capacity which is of relevance to the judicial work of the Court;
(c) Every candidate for election to the Court shall have an excellent knowledge of and be fluent in at least one of the working languages of the Court.

4. (a) Nominations of candidates for election to the Court may be made by any State Party to this Statute, and shall be made either:
(i) By the procedure for the nomination of candidates for appointment to the highest judicial offices in the State in question; or
(ii) By the procedure provided for the nomination of candidates for the International Court of Justice in the Statute of that Court. Nominations shall be accompanied by a statement in the necessary detail specifying how the candidate fulfils the requirements of paragraph 3.
(b) Each State Party may put forward one candidate for any given election who need not necessarily be a national of that State Party but shall in any case be a national of a State Party.
(c) The Assembly of States Parties may decide to establish, if appropriate, an Advisory Committee on nominations. In that event, the Committee's composition and mandate shall be established by the Assembly of States Parties.

5. For the purposes of the election, there shall be two lists of candidates:
List A containing the names of candidates with the qualifications specified in paragraph 3 (b) (i); and
List B containing the names of candidates with the qualifications specified in paragraph 3 (b) (ii).
A candidate with sufficient qualifications for both lists may choose on which list to appear. At the first election to the Court, at least nine judges shall be elected from list A and at least five judges from list B. Subsequent elections shall be so organized as to maintain the equivalent proportion on the Court of judges qualified on the two lists.

6. (a) The judges shall be elected by secret ballot at a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties convened for that purpose under article 112. Subject to paragraph 7, the persons elected to the Court shall be the 18 candidates who obtain the highest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of the States Parties present and voting.
(b) In the event that a sufficient number of judges is not elected on the first ballot, successive ballots shall be held in accordance with the procedures laid down in subparagraph (a) until the remaining places have been filled.

7. No two judges may be nationals of the same State. A person who, for the purposes of membership of the Court, could be regarded as a national of more than one State shall be deemed to be a national of the State in which that person ordinarily exercises civil and political rights.

8. (a) The States Parties shall, in the selection of judges, take into account the need, within the membership of the Court, for:
(i) The representation of the principal legal systems of the world;
(ii) Equitable geographical representation; and
(iii) A fair representation of female and male judges.
(b) States Parties shall also take into account the need to include judges with legal expertise on specific issues, including, but not limited to, violence against women or children.

9. (a) Subject to subparagraph (b), judges shall hold office for a term of nine years and, subject to subparagraph (c) and to article 37, paragraph 2, shall not be eligible for re-election.
(b) At the first election, one third of the judges elected shall be selected by lot to serve for a term of three years; one third of the judges elected shall be selected by lot to serve for a term of six years; and the remainder shall serve for a term of nine years.
(c) A judge who is selected to serve for a term of three years under subparagraph (b) shall be eligible for re-election for a full term.

10. Notwithstanding paragraph 9, a judge assigned to a Trial or Appeals Chamber in accordance with article 39 shall continue in office to complete any trial or appeal the hearing of which has already commenced before that Chamber.