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Shkruar nga Fatjona MejdiniThe Emirates' interest goes beyond bilateral cooperation with Albania...
At the beginning of last year, Dubai was considered a safe haven for many wanted by Albanian justice, where the authorities found it almost impossible to carry out extraditions. More than 25 people, mostly accused of murder, were there, along with dozens of others who were there simply for networking and criminal peace. This group was joined by dozens of other Albanians, who were wanted by the authorities of foreign countries and also preferred this country to avoid extradition and launder money.
But since last summer, after a visit by the then Interior Minister to the Emirates, the situation began to change. Within a year, from July 2024 until now, a total of 8 cases of deportations and extraditions have been carried out on behalf of Albania. Of course, the increasingly good relations between Albania and the Emirates have influenced this development.
This was also emphasized a few days ago during the visit to Tirana of the President of the Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
But the Emirates' interest goes beyond bilateral cooperation with Albania.
If you look closely at the profile of those returned to Albania, they are all accused of murder or attempted murder, a category of criminal offenses that is considered high-risk even for the security of the Emirates itself.
Moreover, for just over a year, the Emirates has taken concrete steps to improve the country's image, distancing itself from the perception of being a haven for criminals and money laundering. As a result, the country was removed from the FATF's grey list for money laundering and, a few weeks ago, from the European Union's list of high-risk countries for money laundering.
All these measures and the number of extraditions carried out are being recorded by the Emirates, to be presented as a success at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime, to be held in Abu Dhabi in April 2026.
So far we have mutual benefit, but without a doubt the problem cannot be considered overcome.
Today, some of the main Albanian leaders of international drug trafficking are still in Dubai, wanted mainly by EU or Latin American countries.
They are usually not charged with murder, but they initiate the chain of murders, are not seen as problematic, and are even entrepreneurs. Whether the Emirates will be open to their extradition remains to be seen.
*"Blacklists and image cleaning; behind the scenes what is hidden behind the extraditions of Albanian "captains" from Dubai", editorial title
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