Prime Minister Edi Rama warned the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) to step up the pace of its investigations, during a meeting of the Socialist Party’s (PS) National Assembly.
On Saturday, May 7, the ruling Socialist Party convened the party’s highest decision-making body to approve changes to party statutes, elect new members, and unveil its strategy for the 2023 local elections.
Rama opened the Assembly with a speech that targeted SPAK, an independent judicial body tasked with investigating corruption and organized crime at the highest levels in Albania.
“I’m reminding SPAK that… they’re welcome to conduct investigations at the highest levels…Our patience is running out,” said Rama before members.
Rama reminded SPAK that it has yet to bring to justice any of the judges or prosecutors who have failed their vetting assessment.
In his speech, the Prime Minister also targeted outgoing President Ilir Meta and Sali Berisha who is running for the leadership of the opposition Democratic Party (PD).
Regarding Berisha, Rama said that his designation for corruption by the US Department of State is a domestic concern.
“The ‘non-grata’ designation is a domestic issue, it does not belong to the US…It’s a challenge to justice, to the sense of justice in this country. And no matter how hard we try, no matter how many investigations, trials, sentences are handed down in this country, if in this country’s greatest persona non grata (Berisha) is not brought to justice, this is a problem for us,” Rama claimed.
The former Prime Minister was designated for corruption by the US Department of State in June 2021, leading to its eventual expulsion by the PD and a bitter fight to take control of the party he started.
Berisha has said that he considers the accusations by the US Department of State slanderous and has vowed to fight against the designation.
