Two days ago, the Rama government confirmed the appointment of former deputy Minister of Finance Ervin Mete as board member and general director of the Financial Monitoring Authority (AMF). Mete was elected to the position by the parliament in September 2019.
This appointment is part of the continuing politicization of the AMF, that began in 2017 with the election of Mete’s predecessor, former Socialist MP Ervin Koçi, by the Socialist majority.
A report on conflict of interest (pg.14) by the Institute for Political Studies in August 2019 found that Mete’s then candidacy, and now appointment, constitutes an infraction of legal provisions that define the conditions the leader of one of the country’s most important financial institutions must meet.
The Law on the Financial Monitoring Authority, article 5, clearly delineates the criteria every board member must meet. Three points in particular seem to be in contradiction with Meta’s appointment.
First, the law stipulates a board member mustn’t hold a political party leadership position. However, Mete was for a time the leader of the political party G99, and has held several high government offices since 2013, including the position of deputy Minister of Finance, deputy Minister of Economy, and council for the Prime Minister. He was also part of the Socialist shortlist of Tirana municipal council candidates during the June 30 local elections, and Central Election Commission (KQZ) records confirm he is still a member of that council.
Furthermore, the law stipulates that a board member must not have been, in the last three years, employed, a partner or held leadership position in any of the subjects the AMF will be responsible for monitoring. Mete’s engagement in the Tirana municipal council puts his appointment in contradiction with this stipulation.
Mete also served as part of the supervisory board of the private insurance company INSIG, from 2013 to August 2016, as well as head of the supervisory council of a financial company, both organs under the supervision of the AMF. Consequently, he could not be appointed as an AMF board member before September 2019.
His candidacy, presented to the parliament in April 2019, should have been dismissed immediately. However, the parliament dragged the procedure on for four months with no given explanation. The vote was postponed at least once at the request of Socialist second-in-command Taulant Balla, and another time at the request of the ‘new’ parliamentary opposition, now consisting of those MPs that refused to follow the old opposition in giving up their seats in protest.
Ultimately, the parliament vote was postponed for 12 September 2019, mere days following the legally mandated 3-year period since Mete left INSIG. The Socialist majority appointed Mete as member of the AMF board, functioning as General Executive Director, which was confirmed on 19 February 2020 by a Decision of the Council of Ministers (VKM).
