Çela in Parliament: In 2024 there was an increase in the number of extraditions from Albania abroad

2025-10-27 13:31:00, Aktualitet CNA

Çela in Parliament: In 2024 there was an increase in the number of

Prosecutor General Olsian Çela is reporting at today's plenary session regarding the state of crime in the country for 2024. Çela stated that the Prosecutor General's Office has continued to work to increase efficiency in cooperation with foreign judicial authorities in the criminal field.

The Chief Prosecutor also spoke about bilateral extradition agreements, noting that Albania has bilateral extradition agreements with the USA, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Kosovo.

He stated that the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement with Eurojust also continued last year, stating that the volume of cases pursued at Eurojust was 5% higher than in 2023.

"The Prosecutor General's Office has continued to work to increase the efficiency of cooperation with foreign judicial authorities in the criminal field. We emphasize here the intensification of contacts with Belgian and Dutch authorities to combat crime, with an emphasis on laundering the proceeds of crime and serious crimes. In this context, in November 2024, the Prosecutor General signed a cooperation agreement with the Prosecutor General of the Kingdom of Belgium in these areas.

The main data on international judicial cooperation administered in the IMPRO electronic system for 2024 show an increase in the number of extraditions from Albania abroad by 38% (from 99 to 137), an increase in the number of letters rogatory from abroad by 39% (from 431 to 599), an increase in the number of letters rogatory from abroad by 10% (from 491 to 539), an increase in the recognition of criminal decisions received from abroad by 6% (from 33 to 35). It is worth noting that despite the difficulties we have encountered due to the significant vacancies in the staff, the percentage of execution of letters rogatory from our side is significantly higher than that of foreign authorities (36.5% / 23.2%), which indicates the priority that international cooperation has had for the prosecution.

We also appreciate the importance of the legislative changes of recent years, including bilateral extradition agreements. Albania currently has bilateral extradition agreements (which provide for the extradition of their respective citizens) with the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Kosovo. It is worth noting that in implementation of the bilateral agreement, we currently have 20 active practices of transferring convicted persons from the United Kingdom to Albania.

The Prosecutor General, in the capacity of the representative of the competent authority, has continued the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement with Eurojust, through the activity of the Liaison Prosecutor of Albania at Eurojust. Referring to data from the Albanian Liaison Prosecutor's Office at Eurojust, in 2024, the volume of cases pursued at Eurojust was 247 cases, 5% higher than in 2023. The Albanian Office at Eurojust supported the creation and continuation of 24 joint investigation teams, where 6 investigation teams were created during 2024. Albanian authorities have participated in 3 Coordination Centers of Action Days and 19 bilateral and multilateral coordination meetings. " , he stated. /CNA