Democratic Party MP, Gazment Bardhi, has raised strong accusations against the Albanian government during the joint EU-Albania meeting at the European Parliament, stating that the rule of law in Albania has been weakened and that the law is not applied equally to everyone.

In his speech to MEPs, Bardhi said that the main challenge for Albania is to answer the question of whether “the law is stronger than power”. According to him, the problems arise precisely at the moment when justice institutions have to act against high-ranking officials. Bardhi mentioned the case of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, claiming that the parliamentary majority used her vote as a political shield after SPAK requested the Assembly’s authorization to continue the procedures against her.

"The parliamentary majority used the vote as a political shield. This case raised a fundamental question: is the majority used to protect institutions or to protect power from the action of the law?", said Bardhi. According to him, the issue of immunity and political interference in justice is also related to the European Union's criteria for the integration process, especially with strengthening the independence of institutions.

Following his speech, the leader of the DP parliamentary group also spoke about the fight against organized crime and money laundering, claiming that several important arrest warrants for people connected to the criminal world continue to be unexecuted. Bardhi accused the government of not sufficiently combating the phenomenon of money laundering, citing investments in the construction and tourism sectors as areas where, according to him, money from criminal activities could infiltrate.

THE FULL WORD
When we talk about fundamental rights, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organized crime, we are actually trying to answer a fundamental question:
Is the law stronger than power? Laws can be well written. But their true test comes when they have to act against power itself. That's when it becomes clear whether the rule of law is real or just formal.

I am bringing you two concrete cases that show what happens in Albania when the law confronts the government. The first is related to the fight against corruption. When SPAK requested the authorization of the Parliament to continue the procedures against one of the highest officials of the Albanian government, Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, the parliamentary majority used the vote as a political shield. The Prime Minister ordered the majority to protect his right wing, even after SPAK itself publicly stated that the lack of security measures harmed the investigation.

This is a moment that raises a fundamental question: is the parliamentary majority used to protect institutions or to protect power from the action of the law?

The Balluku case was not just an internal political debate. It exposed a problem that is now reflected in the European Union's benchmarks for closing the Fundamentals Group: the need for the executive and legislature not to interfere in justice and for decisions on immunity to be guided by the standards of the Venice Commission.

The second case is related to the fight against organized crime and money laundering.

Two of the most important arrest warrants for organized crime in Albania, the one against the leader of the Elbasan gang and the one against the person considered the Prime Minister's unofficial coordinator, still remain unexecuted. Their location has long been a public secret in the heart of Albania, but the police cannot find them. This is difficult to explain with a lack of information. It feeds the belief that the law stops where the political interest of the government begins.

Equally worrying is the phenomenon of money laundering. Investigations by law enforcement authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France have uncovered Albanian international cocaine trafficking organizations investing their profits in Albania, through construction and tourism projects. Investments that cannot be realized without the decision-making and approval of the Albanian government.

I am quoting the latest file of the Albanian Special Prosecution Office against Organized Crime, SPAK: evidence received from Belgian authorities has documented with film footage meetings of senior Albanian state officials with persons involved in international drug trafficking. According to the same file, in these meetings the use of real estate and investments in construction and tourism to launder income from cocaine trafficking is discussed.

Even before this shocking fact became public, the opposition had requested an interpellation with the Prime Minister on the issue of money laundering from organized crime and corruption in construction and tourism. The Prime Minister refused to appear in Parliament.

We requested the establishment of a parliamentary investigative commission.
He was rejected too.

All of these cases lead to the same question: does the law apply equally to power, or does it stop there? Because this is the true test of the rule of law.

Dear colleagues,

Unfortunately, Albania has not yet fully passed the most difficult test of the rule of law: that the law be equally strong for all and not become weaker every time it confronts power.