Sali Berisha remains persona non-grata in UK  

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission has upheld the decision of July 19, 2022, by the UK Home Office to declare the leader of the Albanian opposition persona non-grata. Appeals by Mr. Berisha’s lawyers failed to overturn the Home Office decision.

Why is this relevant

Coming mere days after the Albanian Court of Appeals recognized the faction of the Democratic Party led by Sali Berisha as the rightful representatives of the party and Berisha as its leader, the decision deals a serious blow to Berisha’s attempts to clear his name from allegations of corruption, contradicting his claims that the accusations are baseless and politically motivated.

Context  

The historical leader of the Albanian opposition Democratic Party was initially declared persona non-grata alongside his entire family by the US State Department on May 18, 2021, for engaging in significant corruption, thus becoming the first former President and Prime Minister in the history of Albania to be declared persona non-grata by one of Albania’s most important strategic partners. The UK followed suit one year later, declaring him non-grata in July 2022. In December 2023, alongside his son-in-law, Berisha was placed under house arrest in the context of an investigation by the Special Anti-Corruption Structure into his alleged involvement in corruption in the privatization process of a former sports complex in Tirana. Throughout this time, Berisha has constantly claimed that his non-grata designation and his house arrest form part of a broad global and politically motivated conspiracy against him, sponsored by George Soros-aligned circles in the US and by justice institutions in Albania that are politically controlled by his opponent and current Prime Minister, Edi Rama.