FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The European Commission sharply criticizes the performance of HIDAA, denouncing the lack of public access, superficial control of assets, and minimal ability to detect conflicts of interest.
The European Commission has dealt a very strong blow to the High Inspectorate for Control and Declaration of Assets, headed by Evgjeni Bashari.
In the report on the rule of law in Albania (2025), instead of serving as a key instrument for transparency, HIDAA is criticized for lack of effectiveness and hermetic closure.
The EC stops at what we have been denouncing for years. This institution has taken millions from citizens' taxes to make the statements public, but has done nothing.
According to the report, the publication of asset declarations is not guaranteed to the public, but requires authorization from the HIDAA itself, limiting access to the media and the public.
Another direct criticism concerns the institution's investigative capacities. "The HIDAA continues to verify only a small percentage of declarations and does not sufficiently use risk analysis to guide controls," the report states. This means that most officials remain outside of real control, while selection remains arbitrary or formal.
In terms of conflict of interest, the situation is even murkier: “The institution has not identified any cases of conflict of interest and has not pursued any proactive investigations in 2024.” This raises serious questions about why this institution exists and how independent it is in exercising its mandate.
Furthermore, the Commission notes the lack of clear rules for the declaration of gifts received by senior officials, and the delays in completing the action plan on ethics and integrity in public administration.
“ Deficiencies remain regarding the effectiveness of verifications of declarations of assets and interests by HIDAA, including profiling of high-risk cases. Declarations of assets and interests continue to be verified by the High Inspectorate for Declaration and Control of Assets and Conflict of Interest (HIDAA), but they remain unpublished, with access only possible upon request, which constitutes a deficiency.
In 2024, HIDAA conducted full verifications for 211 candidates for the judiciary and 35 officials of the State Police, the Republic Guard and the Police Supervision Agency. HIDAA approved and carried out full/periodic checks for 817 entities during 2024, imposed 101 fines and referred 23 criminal or other cases to law enforcement agencies, including one case to SPAK.
"No progress has been made regarding the effectiveness of verifications and further measures appear necessary to verify assets that may have been hidden through private entities or intermediary persons ," the report states.
This is a clear picture of a paralyzed institution, which serves more to protect the status quo than to exercise real control over officials. In a country where high-level corruption continues to be untouchable, the EU report makes it clear: without a functional HIDAA, there can be neither accountability, nor justice, nor European integration. /Pamphlet
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