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The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SPAK) has exercised control at the Central Election Commission for financing from non-public funds for the Democratic Party, referring to the years 2009, 2011 and 2013, at the time when this political entity was led by the former prime minister, Sali Berisha.
Sources from SPAK say that on April 24, 2024, prosecutors Arben Kraja and Enkeleda Millonai, after studying the investigative file in charge of citizens Sali Berisha and Jamarbër Malltezi, in relation to the privatization of the former sports club "Partizani" have been found by of the two prosecutors, that two companies namely Connext sh.pk and Redcloud sh.pk have provided services for the Democratic Party in the years 2009, 2011 and 2013, during election campaigns.
Following this investigation, two OPGJ investigators, namely Besmir Karaxha and Ritano Nano, went to the premises of the Central Election Commission, to check all documents that could evidence financing from non-public funds for the Democratic Party; such as donations, financing suspected by Russian companies, dirty money, but also reported expenses, audits, financial reports or any other financial act, referred to the years 2009, 2011 and 2013.
The Law "On Political Parties", on the one hand, through its Article 21, prohibits political parties from receiving financial and material donations from foreign governments, public or private entities. On the other hand, this Article allows the gifts or aid coming from the party or international party union, political organizations or foundations, Albanian and foreign, individuals, natural or legal Albanian persons.
The law states that the donation of non-public funds, with a value greater than 100,000 Lek (approximately 720 Euro), must be made only in a special account, opened in a bank by the political party. Also, it prohibits the benefit of non-public funds, carried out by subjects who do not declare their identity or whose identity is not clearly defined by the political party benefiting from the non-public fund.
The lack of financial transparency of political parties is among the most disturbing issues throughout the political transition in Albania in 3 decades. Local and international observers express concern that behind the lack of will for transparency hides dubious financing and dirty money originating from criminal groups, which then capture the state with cronyism and high-level corruption.
Sali Berisha is under investigation for the criminal offense of corruption together with his son-in-law, Jamarbër Malltezi, who is accused by SPAK of having received income in the amount of 5.4 million euros from a construction business in an irregular manner thanks to the government's decisions by his father-in-law.
Both Berisha and Malltezi have opposed the accusations and described the investigation as orchestrated by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The Special Prosecutor's Office of Albania requested house arrest for Berisha, saying that he had ignored the decision of the prosecutors to report to SPAK every two weeks and not to leave the country while he was being investigated for corruption related to the privatization of the former sports club "Partizani".
The request for the replacement of the measure of arrest was made after Berisha refused to implement the previous measures of the obligation to appear and the ban on leaving the country, considering them to be unconstitutional. The Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the severity of the measure in such cases.
Over the course of a week, the session for examining SPAK's request for tightening the security measure against Berisha was postponed several times. SPAK's request arrived after receiving the authorization to remove Berisha's immunity from the Assembly on December 18, but the hearing was postponed after the former prime minister's legal representatives, lawyers Genc Gjokutaj and Sokol Mêngjesi, requested more time to familiarize themselves with the evidence. companion.
Also, Berisha's lawyers requested several times the dismissal of judge Irena Gjoka, with the argument that former prime minister Berisha was the chairman of the former High Council of Justice in 1996, when, according to him, a decision was made to dismiss judge Gjoka. The requests were subsequently rejected by the court.
Berisha served as prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013, and as president from 1992 to 1997.
The United States in May 2021 and Great Britain in July 2022 banned Berisha and his close family members from traveling to these two countries, due to suspicions of his involvement in corruption. /Liberale.al
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