Two more prosecutors were appointed to the Special Prosecution Office against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK) in Albania, bringing the number to 15.
On Friday, the High Prosecutorial Council appointed prosecutors Adnan Xholi and Dorina Bejko to SPAK, one of the main institutions established under the justice reform. It also appointed 5 new heads of district prosecutor’s offices.
SPAK was established in 2019, and it now has 15 of the 20 prosecutors stipulated by law.
In a press statement marking the 5th anniversary of this reform, the head of SPAK, Arben Kraja asked for the term in office of SPAK prosecutors to be extended to more than the actual 9 years. He also added that a new building should be provided for the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH), also labelled as “Albanian FBI”, a second body tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime.
In one of its major operations since its establishment, SPAK ordered arrests for 9 low-ranking public officials of the Ministry of Interior in July, for rigging a tender worth €23 million in 2020 for the supply of Albanian police officers with uniforms.
No high-ranking public official has been arrested to date in relation to the tender, but reports say prosecutors are attempting to turn those accused into witnesses who might reveal senior officials possibly involved in the deal.
