How the accusations against Berisha and his son-in-law were reflected in the international media

2023-10-22 17:51:00, Aktualitet CNA

How the accusations against Berisha and his son-in-law were reflected in the

Sali Berisha and Jamarbër Malltezi

The accusations made by SPAk against former Prime Minister Sali Berisha as well as the arrest of his son-in-law Jamarbër Malltezi have echoed in the international media.

The prestigious media Reuters and Associated Press have dedicated articles to this event.

Below you will find the full articles of these prestigious media.

(Reuters) - Albanian prosecutors have indicted former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his son-in-law on corruption charges over a land deal that included the grounds of a sports club, investigators said on Sunday.

In its indictment, the special prosecutor's office for fighting corruption and organized crime, known as SPAK, said that Berisha used his influence as prime minister from 2005 to 2009 to exert pressure "for the completion of privatization procedures in favor of of others, including his daughter's husband.

While his son-in-law was arrested late on Saturday, Berisha himself is an MP and has immunity from prosecution. He has been ordered not to leave the country and to report to the police.

The criminal proceedings began in 2020 when current Interior Minister Taulant Balla accused Berisha of being involved in the privatization of grounds and other sports facilities belonging to FC Partizani in the capital Tirana, which were then replaced by multi-storey buildings.

Berisha has accused the current Prime Minister Edi Rama of having orchestrated the whole issue.

"He ordered his mercenary prosecutors... The accusations are baseless and are direct political attacks by Edi Rama against me," Berisha told reporters late Saturday.

In 2021, the United States barred Berisha and his family from entering, saying that as prime minister he had engaged in "corrupt acts such as embezzlement of public funds and interference in public processes, including using his power for his own benefit and to enrich his politics. his allies and family members".

Berisha served as president from 1992 to 1997, shortly after the fall of communism in Albania, and as prime minister from 2005 to 2013.

He is now the leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, but is embroiled in separate legal battles over his leadership with another faction.

How the accusations against Berisha and his son-in-law were reflected in the

(AP) — Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Saturday that prosecutors charged him with corruption and money laundering in connection with a land deal involving a property in Tirana.

Berisha, 79, said the prosecutor's office in charge of cases against senior officials, or key cases, ordered him not to leave the country.

Berisha also said that his son-in-law, 50-year-old Jamarber Malltezi, was arrested on the same charges at Tirana International Airport. Berisha said that he and Malltezi are innocent.

"For these accusations, I declare that they are absolutely without any basis and pure and entirely political accusations by (the current prime minister) Edi Rama", he said in a press conference late Saturday.

Rama did not immediately respond to Berisha's claim.

The Office of the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime claims that Berisha's son-in-law used Berisha's position as prime minister to privatize land in Tirana owned by the country's Ministry of Defense and returned it to its previous owners, who immediately sold it. at a low price. to Malltez, who built apartments on the plot.

The accusations come three years after Interior Minister Taulant Balla, at the time head of the ruling Socialist Party's parliamentary group, sent a file of accusations against Malltez and Berisha to the prosecutor's office.

Berisha served as prime minister of Albania from 2005-2013 and as president from 1992-1997. He was re-elected as a legislator of the Democratic Party in the parliamentary elections of April 2021.

In May 2021, the US government banned Berisha and his immediate family from entering the country due to suspected involvement in corruption. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that during Berisha's tenure as prime minister from 2005 to 2013, the politician was involved in corrupt acts and had used "his power for his own benefit and to enrich his political allies and members of his family ".

Blinken also accused Berisha of interfering with "independent investigations, anti-corruption efforts and accountability measures." He said that "Berisha's corrupt acts undermined democracy in Albania".

Since then, Berisha's main opposition Democratic Party has been in turmoil with various factions fighting for party leadership and legal registration.

The fight against corruption has been the Achilles heel of post-communist Albania, strongly influencing the country's democratic, economic and social development. Berisha was the fourth senior Albanian official to be denied entry to the United States due to suspected involvement in corruption.

How the accusations against Berisha and his son-in-law were reflected in the