SPAK
SPAK sends Ilir Meta and Monika Kryemadhi to trial on corruption and money laundering charges
The Special Prosecution (SPAK) has sent former president Ilir Meta and MP Monika Kryemadhi to trial, announcing three charges against them: corruption, money laundering, and failure to declare assets. Why...
Rama lambasts another judge over order blocking public-space clearance
Prime Minister Edi Rama publicly criticized judge Klarent Demiri on Friday, alleging the magistrate issued two rulings that blocked the demolition of an illegal structure and the freeing of a...
ODIHR final report on Albania’s 11 May elections delayed to September
The OSCE-ODIHR final report on Albania’s 11 May parliamentary elections will be published in September, not August as initially expected. ODIHR sources told Albanian media the timeline shifted as the...
Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj asks Special Court to void SPAK probe, cites nine procedural violations
Through his lawyers, Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj filed a motion dated 13 August asking Albania’s Special Court (GJKKO) to declare the investigation against him invalid. Veliaj, who has been in...
Europol: 28-ton cocaine ring exposes Albanian criminals’ deep global ties
Europol says the drug-trafficking group unmasked last week—credited by SPAK with moving 28 tons of cocaine from Latin America to Europe—demonstrates the “strong connections” Albanian actors maintain with other criminal...
SPAK hits alleged international cocaine network: 16 suspects, raids in four cities
Albania’s Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) struck another alleged international drug-trafficking group, seeking 16 suspects under Special Court warrants. The operation spanned Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan and Lushnjë....
Ilir Meta seeks lighter security measure after SPAK closes investigation
Ilir Meta, leader of the Freedom Party, has asked the Special Court to replace his “arrest in prison” detention with a more lenient measure. Meta has been in custody since...
In a surprising admission, Berisha labels 21 January a “state crime” but insists it was unintentional
For the first time, 14 years after four protesters were killed by Republic Guard gunfire during a Socialist-led demonstration, former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has surprised many by acknowledging that...
Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj officially charged after six months in detention
Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Tirana arrested on February 10, was formally notified today of his status as a defendant on four counts: passive corruption, money laundering, concealment of assets...
Albania to open remaining EU negotiation chapters soon, says Danish minister
Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre told the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee today that Albania will open the two remaining negotiation group chapters within a short time. “Albania...