Klodjan Braho, new head of SPAK, pledges a "tough approach"

2025-12-24 18:10:32, Aktualitet CNA

Klodjan Braho was selected this month as the new head of the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, an institution tasked with the difficult task of investigating high-level corruption, at a time when this institution is at the center of intense public attention and political pressure.

The Special Prosecution Office, known to Albanians as SPAK, was created to fight corruption and organized crime as part of a major judicial reform process. Supported by the US and the EU, SPAK has gained a strong reputation for investigating high-ranking officials and politicians, as well as broad public support in Albania.

Asked by BIRN what his main priorities will be during his term as head of SPAK, 43-year-old Braho said he plans to “guarantee that no one is above the law and that everyone is equal before it.”

"We will focus on current issues and continue in-depth investigations, including the analysis of illegally obtained assets and their confiscation. An important condition for the proper functioning of SPAK is the strengthening of the independence and professionalism of prosecutors and investigators," the prosecutor said.

Braho, who took office on December 19, added that "we will also work on the institutional strengthening of SPAK and increasing capacities for information collection and analysis."

"Our goal is to increase public trust in justice and we can only achieve this by setting high standards in the fight against corruption and organized crime," he said.

SPAK is rarely absent from the headlines these days in Albania. Currently, its prosecutors are investigating Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is accused of interfering in public procurement in road construction matters.

Balluku denies any wrongdoing, calling the accusations "insinuations", "half-truths" and "lies".

SPAK has asked parliament to lift her immunity so it can arrest her; a decision is expected in January. However, the legislature is dominated by Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialist Party, which has 83 of the 140 seats.

Rama has expressed his support for Balluku; the opposition has denounced the situation and held a protest on Monday outside his office, demanding Rama’s resignation. The rally was organized by the rival Democratic Party – whose leader, Sali Berisha, has also been indicted by SPAK on alleged corruption charges, charges he denies. Angry protesters then threw Molotov cocktails and vowed further protests.

Balluku is the highest-ranking public official currently under investigation by SPAK. Another ongoing investigation that has drawn public attention is the case of a suspected criminal group based at the National Information Society Agency (AKSHI), accused of running a tender rigging scheme.

The National Agency for Digital Governance (NAD) is one of the most important institutions in the country. It manages almost the entire digital governance system through the e-Albania portal, while also acting as an intermediary between citizens and various institutions for the issuance of online documents.

Critics say the case is particularly troubling because it highlights suspected links between crime and state institutions.

Last year alone, SPAK says it has investigated 33 former senior public officials, 19 of whom have been sent to trial.

They include several prominent political figures: Berisha, a central figure in Albanian politics since the fall of communism in the early 1990s, is currently on trial for corruption. Another former president, Ilir Meta, and his wife, former MP Monika Kryemadhi, are also on trial on charges of corruption, money laundering and concealment of assets. Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, a political ally of Rama, is in custody on similar charges, while former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj is on the run from a corruption and money laundering investigation.

Public trust, quality investigations

Braho graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tirana in 2004 and from the School of Magistrates in Albania in 2008. He worked in the prosecution offices of the cities of Berat and Vlora, before being appointed as a prosecutor in the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office. Since 2019, when it was established, he has been a prosecutor at SPAK; as a career prosecutor, he has extensive experience in investigating serious crimes and corruption.

He is expected to be in the public spotlight as he succeeds Altin Dumani, widely perceived as the prosecutor who broke the culture of impunity in Albania, as head of SPAK. Dumani said he wanted to wish Braho success in what he described as a “very important and challenging task.”

"Being the head of SPAK is a great responsibility, not only for the institution, but also for citizens' trust in justice," Dumani told BIRN.

"I am convinced that Mr. Braho will fulfill this task with professionalism and integrity. SPAK has already set its standards and I am convinced that it will continue to function by fulfilling its mission, in the service of the law and citizens," he added.

Armand Bajrami, a chronicle journalist in Tirana who follows SPAK's activities, told BIRN that he was optimistic about the prospects of the anti-corruption prosecution under Braho's leadership.

"Klodian Braho took office in an institution that is already consolidated and enjoys the trust of the public, but which is currently being questioned and criticized by the main actors of the two most important political forces in the country (Rama and Berisha)," said Bajrami.

"His long experience in duty and in complex investigations, as well as the experience of the SPAK team, makes me believe that the Special Structure under his leadership will aim for quality investigations with concrete results," he concluded./ Reporter.al