US Ambassador Yuri Kim and EU Ambassador to Albania Luigi Soreca have both welcomed the ruling of the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime’s against former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri for abuse of office.
Last week, the Court sentenced Tahiri to three years and four months in prison. According to the judge, Tahiri facilitated drug trafficking for a criminal group through his inaction, and received gifts from its members during his term in office.
While neither ambassador mentioned Tahiri’s name directly, they both released statements voicing their approval of the work done by the country’s judicial institutions recently.
Following the decision, Ambassador Kim tweeted that no one is above the law.
We urge judicial institutions to continue to demonstrate that no one – regardless of party, position, or wealth – is above the law. No more impunity.
— Ambassador Yuri Kim (@USAmbAlbania) February 4, 2022
Speaking on Monday from Korça, Luigi Soreca said that the Albanian courts’ recent decisions have shown that “the courts have become more independent and stronger.”
“This means good news for the consolidation of the justice system. We see good signals from the work done by [Albanian] judges and prosecutors,” Soreca noted.
The US and the EU have been the biggest supporters of Albania’s sweeping justice reform.
The decision was welcomed also by the Albanian opposition who reiterated their allegations that the Tahiri’s actions were supported by Prime Minister Rama.
Rama, on the other hand, refused to comment on the case during a press conference on Saturday.
