From house arrest, Sali Berisha calls for dismantling of justice reform
Photo: Sali Berisha
Sali Berisha, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, who is currently under house arrest awaiting trial for corruption, has called for the dismantling of Albania’s justice reform. He branded the reform a failure and urged Albania’s international partners to withdraw their support for what he describes as a “criminalized and prime minister-controlled judiciary.”
Why is this important: The justice reform, unanimously passed by the Albanian parliament in July 2016, was a historic step towards combating impunity. In the years since it has held high-profile figures, from former prime ministers to other public officials, accountable for the first time in Albania’s history. Berisha’s call comes at a critical time for him and his family, as he and his son-in-law face corruption charges for the privatization of a sports complex in the heart of Tirana. He has repeatedly refused the charges against him, accusing the government of using legal reforms to target political opponents.
Context: In a recent statement, Sali Berisha targeted the head of the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime, Altin Dumani. He claimed that Dumani acts under the orders of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Because of this alleged political control of the justice system, Berisha is calling for a complete reassessment of the system by the Venice Commission. The purpose of this would allegedly be to restore the fundamental right of Albanians to a fair legal process and to extricate the judiciary from political influence. In practice, he is calling for a dismantling of justice reform.
What’s next: The problem Berisha faces is that the justice reform and SPAK as its main instrument are very popular among Albanians, far more so than Berisha himself and the opposition as a whole. Furthermore, SPAK has not been one sided in the least in its investigations; it has investigated and arrested far more senior representatives from the ruling Socialists than from the opposition.
Indeed, the passing of the reform, the establishment of SPAK, and its investigations into high level corruption, were one of the key reasons why the EU decided to open accession negotiations with Albania.
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