Albania - October 2023

The Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), vested with constitutional powers and established as part of the EU reforms required for initiating accession talks, has maintained its recently established track record of investigating corruption and crime at the highest levels. In its latest indictment, SPAK has accused Sali Berisha, former President (1992-1997) and Prime Minister (2005-2013) and current leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, with corruption, alongside his son-in-law. Berisha stands accused of exerting pressure during his premiership to profit from a deal in which publicly owned sports grounds in Tirana were privatized and subsequently converted into a multi-storey housing development. Berisha and his son-in-law are thought to have jointly profited with EUR 5.4 million and the crime is punishable with up to 12 years of jail time. Berisha has called the accusations “baseless” and frames them as a political attack by current Prime Minister Edi Rama. It is unclear when the criminal proceedings will conclude.

Sources: Balkan Insight, Lapsi, Reuters, Euractiv