The Special Prosecution Against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK) formally charged former Prime Minister Sali Berisha with passive corruption this Wednesday.

Context

The current leader of the opposition has been under house arrest since December 30, 2023. Despite the order not to communicate or meet with anyone except his family, Berisha has been actively engaging with supporters for the past seven months, protesting his case. He regularly addresses his supporters from the window of his apartment, defying SPAK’s orders, accusing the agency and Prime Minister Edi Rama of orchestrating the charges. On Wednesday, as Berisha was summoned to be informed of his indictment, Democratic Party structures organized a protest in front of SPAK as a form of pressure on the judiciary.

Before and after his confrontation with the two prosecutors handling the case, Berisha addressed the media and his Democratic supporters, labeling the entire legal process as politically motivated. Following the formal indictment, it will now be up to the Special Court to determine, in a preliminary hearing, whether to proceed with the trial. If convicted of passive corruption, Berisha faces a potential prison sentence of 4 to 13 years. SPAK also charged Berisha’s son-in-law, Jamarbër Malltezi, with passive corruption and money laundering in collaboration. Malltezi similarly dismissed the charges as politically driven.