EU Rapporteur for Albania Isabel Santos blamed delays in justice reform for the current failure to investigate and prosecute senior officials and politicians in vote-buying scandals.
Isabel Santos, responded to Exit News, that:
“The judicial system has gone through a strong reform, judges have been verified and some of them have resigned… there have been problems with the functioning of the justice system, with delays, with difficulties, but the trial for the sentence of vote buying will be monitored by us ”.
She did not mention the fact that vote-buying investigation cases have been closed and no senior officials have been convicted. For the most part, during her speech, she praised the results of justice reform.
Santos added that vote-buying scandals are not “an excuse to postpone the first intergovernmental conference”.
Asked about recent reports, including the State Department report, that the country has not made “significant progress” in the fight against organized crime and money laundering in 2020, Santos said that the investigation of “Ndragheta-related” cases showed that Albania is on the right track:
“Structures are doing their job, they are taking strong steps forward, we need to monitor this. A lot of effort has been made, but we need to give Albania incentives. The more recognition for the reforms, the better.”
Santos did not answer a question from Exit News about the adoption of bylaws on the law on national minorities, another condition that has not been properly addressed.
The rapporteur stressed that “she was not trying to embellish anything” but that “the five conditions for opening talks” had been met. She said the Albanian government had done a great job of meeting these “goals” in extremely difficult conditions, including the November 26 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ora News reporter Joey Malaysia asked Santos about crime-related lawmakers in the April 25 general election and whether she had a message for politicians to distance themselves from organized crime.
Her response was that the election will be an important moment and then, the parties must do their best to overcome the tensions that have existed for many years.
“There has to be dialogue on what is best for the nation. The democratic debate is quite lively and full of passion. They need to focus on what is best for the country.”
She stressed that the EU should “say ‘YES’ to Albania,” we are together, we are together, we can go further and build a stronger European Union and together we will continue along the path we started “.