Altin Dumani, message from Durrës: SPAK puts every official before the law

2025-12-12 12:26:00, Aktualitet CNA

A day after the election of his successor, Klodian Braho, the current head of SPAK, Altin Dumani, held a meeting with students of the "Aleksandër Moisiu" University in Durrës.

In his speech, Dumani emphasized the importance of integrity, accountability and the fight against corruption, emphasizing that SPAK has delivered tangible results during its six years of operation.

"Corruption is not just a violation of the law, but a violation of human rights and public trust. The fight against this phenomenon is the duty of the entire society."

Dumani also spoke about the development and consolidation of the SPAK structure, mentioning the establishment of two main sections, against corruption and against organized crime and terrorism, as well as the financial investigation sector and the wiretapping center.

"Today SPAK is a functional structure with a full staff of prosecutors and investigators, and over 50% of high-level officials who have been sent for trial have already been found guilty."

During the meeting, the head of SPAK also focused on the fight against organized crime, mentioning its connection with corruption and the importance of bringing justice to high-level officials.

"Our institution has shown that it is capable of holding any official criminally liable, regardless of the political or economic power they possess."

Dumani will hand over the task to Klodian Brahos on December 19, who will take over the leadership of SPAK for the next three years.

Altin Dumani's full speech

Greetings to all, esteemed Mr. Rector, esteemed Professor Jau, esteemed representatives of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, esteemed lecturers, dear students. I received with great pleasure the invitation of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, which I would like to thank, because in these three years at the direction of SPAK, we have had a relationship built not only on the basis of cooperation, but we have valued and appreciated each other, SPAK and the Albanian Helsinki Committee. Even when we have thought differently, we have welcomed the criticisms of the Committee, which have been numerous and in many cases justified, and we have then tried to reflect on our daily work and change for the better.

It is a great pleasure and responsibility to be at this event where students are at the center, representing the energy, the power of change and the potential for positive change that our country needs. Words have weight when we talk about integrity and responsibility; they must be at the foundation of a just, equal society, with functioning institutions. If we talk about corruption, it is a phenomenon that silently erodes us, makes us lose hope and creates a reality where talent and hard work are worthless and progress is hazy. Corruption is not simply a violation of the law, but a violation of human rights, public trust and an infringement of the dignity of citizens. The fight against this phenomenon is not only the duty of the institution I lead, SPAK, but of the entire society. If this reality is rejected, within you you will find the strength to improve it.

To return a little to the work of SPAK, during the first six years, we have tried, in addition to investigative work, to help in the establishment and consolidation of the institution. Development and consolidation have gone through numerous obstacles. We started with a limited number of prosecutors in the absence of the National Bureau of Investigation, but we were not discouraged and continued forward. Today we can talk about a functional structure with a full composition of prosecutors, divided into two sections: the section against organized crime and terrorism and the section against corruption, with 60 investigators of the National Bureau of Investigation. We also have a mini-section for the implementation of wiretapping and the financial investigation sector, which has as its objective the identification with the aim of seizing and confiscating the proceeds of a criminal offense.

We can now say that SPAK is fully functional. The rigorous process of selecting prosecutors, investigators and administration has yielded positive results in building the structure. In just six years of operation, SPAK has managed to implement the principle that no one is above the law. SPAK has brought charges against high, medium and low-level officials, including mayors, prefects, judges and prosecutors, as well as senior state police officials. More than 50% of them have already been convicted, while the rest are under trial or investigation.

These results show that SPAK is capable of bringing to justice any official, regardless of the political, economic or financial power he possesses. It is not easy, but it is not impossible. Also, another priority of the institution is the fight against organized crime. SPAK has shown that it is capable of bringing to justice criminal groups and structures, which pose a great danger not only to our country, but also to other countries, both inside and outside the European Union. Our investigations have noted the combination of organized crime with corruption, with high-ranking officials who either serve criminal organizations through corruption, or are active members of them.