PM Rama intensifies criticism of justice system, calls for accountability

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama convened an extraordinary meeting of the Socialist Party’s parliamentary group, delivering yet another detailed and forceful critique of SPAK and the broader justice system. The controversy surrounding the investigation and arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj has turned into a flashpoint, bringing to the surface long-standing concerns over prosecutorial overreach, procedural abuses, and selective justice. After years of offering unconditional support for judicial reform, Rama made it clear that his government will not remain silent when judicial institutions act outside democratic norms.

Why is this Important: For years, the Socialist Party has provided unwavering political and institutional support for the justice reform, even though SPAK’s investigations primarily targeted senior Socialist officials. However, the Veliaj case has brought into the open grievances that had previously been kept under wraps. Rama’s speech signaled that while his government remains committed to an independent judiciary, it will also demand that judicial institutions adhere to constitutional norms and legal safeguards.

Context: The meeting was called after Klotilda Bushka, Chairwoman of the Legal Affairs Commission, discovered through the media that she had been named as a suspect in SPAK’s indictment against Veliaj. Rama described this as a fundamental failure of judicial transparency and fairness.

“The Chairwoman of the Legal Affairs Commission learned of her inclusion in this indictment as a suspect from the television. She was neither summoned, nor questioned, nor was her version heard.”

Rama argued that the Bushka case was not an isolated incident, but emblematic of a broader problem—where SPAK operates with unchecked power and little regard for procedural norms. His speech was not just about Bushka but about what he described as a growing pattern of judicial excesses that now required urgent political attention.

Rama’s main criticisms: During his speech, Rama laid out a series of grave concerns, accusing SPAK and elements within the judiciary of acting arbitrarily, violating due process, and selectively enforcing justice. He emphasized that Albania had seen similar tendencies in its dictatorial past, warning against the return of a system where unelected prosecutors wield excessive power.

·       On unlimited prosecutorial power. Rama warned that SPAK’s trajectory risks bringing Albania back to a system where prosecutors operate without oversight, echoing past authoritarian structures during the communist regime.

“This is a parliamentary republic, where under the Constitution, the powers are independent… So, it is not only that justice is independent from the legislature and the executive, but also that the legislature and executive are independent from the power of the judiciary.”

·       On judicial overreach and due process. Rama accused SPAK of acting arbitrarily, detaining individuals without trial, and failing to maintain due process. He argued that the judiciary had started making politically consequential decisions without proper justification. Referring to the Veliaj file he said: “In that 400-page novel, there is no evidence. There is only a very loaded and complicated narrative with all kinds of cause-and-effect characters, but there is no evidence.”

He also highlighted what he viewed as selective enforcement of justice: “Three months before the elections, the mayor is taken and put in jail, while a former prime minister accused of corruption is left free.”

·       Witness intimidation allegations. One of the most serious allegations in Rama’s speech was that SPAK prosecutors were using intimidation tactics to pressure witnesses into cooperating with investigations. He described incidents where individuals had been subjected to coercion: “I have met artists and intellectuals who were taken in for questioning and emerged psychologically shattered.”

·       Judges with alleged political ties. Rama alleged that certain judges handling high-profile corruption cases have clear political alignments. He claimed that judicial decisions were being shaped by political biases rather than legal principles: “There is a simple fact that I know. A specific judge was selected for this case [Veliaj] because others refused.”

He also directly accused the judge handling Mayor Veliaj’s case, Erion Bani, of having close ties to the Democratic Party (DP). According to Rama, the judge’s professional history connects him directly to prominent DP figures, and his judicial decisions have disproportionately targeted Socialist Party officials. Rama argued that Bani has on more than one occassion gone beyond the scope of his role by issuing rulings that exceeded even the requests of prosecutors and allegedly imposing harsher measures than required by law. Additionally, he accused Bani of working in coordination with another DP-affiliated judge: “So, we are talking about two DP kamikazes in the Special Court who have no problem openly expressing their satisfaction in targeting certain individuals, saying [of the Socialist Party] ‘we will crush them.’”

·       Judges allegedly involved in leaking sensitive case information. Rama also raised the issue of sensitive selective leaks that are often used for character assassination or to misinform the public. He revisited the controversial Toyota Yaris case, in which legally classified judicial documents have repeatedly been leaked and read aloud in public by DP leader Sali Berisha. The prime minister called on SPAK Chief Altin Dumani to investigate how these confidential files reached Berisha’s hands, asserting that the same judge was involved in both the Veliaj and the Toyota Yaris cases. According to Rama, these leaks are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern in which judicial figures with political allegiances have allegedly worked to undermine the Socialist Party.

A separate report from Gazeta Tema further detailed these claims, identifying DP parliamentary leader Gazmend Bardhi as the probable link to Judge Bani. The report alleged that Judge Bani, previously worked closely alongside Bardhi as an adviser—a political appointee—to the Minister of Justice in the Berisha government.

A new approach: According to the Prime Minister these revelations confirm long-standing fears that judicial institutions have been selectively enforcing justice, targeting Socialist officials while protecting figures linked to DP. He warned that if such practices continue unchecked, they could undermine public trust in the independence of the judiciary and threaten the integrity of Albania’s justice system.

In what marked a decisive shift, Rama declared that the Socialist Party will no longer refrain from commenting on judicial abuses. While reiterating his commitment to judicial independence, he made it clear that his party would now actively challenge what it sees as violations of due process: “Until yesterday, these concerns were spoken about in whispers. Today, they come from the mouth of the Prime Minister.”

He insisted that his government would not interfere in investigations but would also not ignore misconduct within the judiciary: “We will not give absolution to anyone under investigation, but we will also not remain silent in the face of blatant violations of standards and the brutality of anyone.”

What’s next: Rama’s speech marks a major shift in the government’s approach to justice reform. The Socialist Party will continue to support the independence of judicial institutions but will also demand accountability and legal safeguards.

With elections approaching, the tensions between the government and justice institutions are expected to escalate further. The debate will now focus on whether Albania’s justice reform is truly delivering independent and impartial justice or if elements within the judiciary are exercising unchecked power.