FLASH
Shkruar nga Sonila Meço
So, bribery of a foreign official is a criminal offense in Albania, just like in other democratic countries.
There is a constant attempt to relativize the “McGonigal” file, to consider it a “dead issue,” a tire-shooting in the void with no real consequences. It may, it may be, but this approach is more of a political alibi than a legal and moral truth.
First, this is not a private story between individuals, but an affair that affects the integrity of the Albanian state. When the name of a prime minister is linked to the corruption of a senior FBI official, we are no longer talking about personal relationships, but about an issue that weighs on the international credibility of the country. Diplomacy and partnerships cannot be built on secret agreements, but on transparency and respect for the law.
Secondly, for a prime minister, any relationship with foreign officials has state, not private, weight. Otherwise, the line between personal interest and public interest is lost and the state becomes hostage to individual affairs.
Third, buying a foreign official is not “state intelligence” or a “diplomacy game,” but pure corruption. Such an act makes the buying party blackmailable and the state hostage to personal interests. This is how the mafia operates, not a state aiming for European integration.
Fourth, the Albanian Criminal Code clearly provides for the punishment for “active corruption of foreign public officials”. This is an international obligation assumed by Albania through the Council of Europe Convention against Corruption. Therefore, the bribery of a foreign official is a criminal offense in Albania, just like in other democratic countries. Albania as a candidate country for the EU is obliged to implement this standard: corruption of foreign officials is punishable in the same way as corruption of domestic officials.
Fifth, the political consequences are perhaps even more serious than the criminal ones. Even if the Albanian justice system chooses not to act, the fact that Albania is mentioned in one of the biggest FBI scandals is a serious blow to its image as a partner country. In politics, perception matters as much as formal evidence.
Sixth, the alibi that “the one who is sold is guilty, not the one who buys” is dangerous. There is no seller without a buyer. If we were to follow this logic, every act of corruption would be justified by blaming the other party. A serious state is responsible for what it does itself, not just for what others do.
So this issue is the mirror where Albania will not see itself. Of course mirrors can break, but the broken pieces will always show the same image.
Lini një Përgjigje