The Democratic Party has accused the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) of delaying the investigation into the assets of SP MP Ervin Bushati.
“The PD reported Bushati two years ago for hiding and non-declaration of seven real estate lots in his name, including more than 3100 square meters of land in Tirana, Qerret and Saranda”, reads the letter of PD sent to SPAK by the General Secretary of the Democratic Party, Gazment Bardhi.
Bardhi accused Albanian justice of not punishing senior officials:
“The inaction of the prosecution body on this issue is another indicator that the Albanian justice is unable to ensure the punishment of senior officials, delaying the investigation for more than two years.”
PD asked SPAK, “information regarding the state of criminal proceedings for Ervin Bushati, investigative actions carried out to date and the reasons for the delay in investigating this case.”
There have not been any prosecutions of senior-level politicians for corruption. The US State Departments 2020 report found that corruption is widespread and present n every part of government and laws that are in place to protect citizens are often not enforced.
The US State Department said that impunity remained a serious problem despite efforts to address it. The prosecution and conviction of officials engaged in corruption were “sporadic and inconsistent” and politicians, judges, officials, and persons with powerful business interests were often able to avoid prosecution.
The report found that the government had failed to enforce criminal penalties for corruption by political officials, as well as stopping mayors, parliamentarians and government and state officials with criminal records from assuming their positions. It added that “officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity” and that corruption was pervasive in all branches of government.
