In an interview with Vizion Plus, Venice Commission President Gianna Buquicchio has declared that corruption in Albania is widespread and have reached alarming levels:
In Albania, corruption has captured the highest levels in all sectors, not only the judiciary.
He stressed the importance of the implementation of the judicial reform, in which the Venice Commission has played an advisory role. Several of the key provisions of the reform, such as the establishment of a special prosecutor and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Colleges, are still awaiting action from Parliament.
The laws of the constitutional reform need to be implemented. The vetting process still hasn’t started, but it is important that if goes quickly. The Albanian people can no longer wait on having independent and impartial judges.
It is important that the judges are independent, not corrupted, and give verdict in the correct way. It is fundamental for Albanian society, for the democracy in Albania, and for the development of the economy. […] If you don’t have impartial judges, you will not have foreign investments, because an entrepreneur does not come to spend his money to develop the Albanian economy if in the case of a conflict he will not have an impartial verdict in court.
