The Special Prosecution Office of Albania (SPAK) requested on Tuesday that the Albanian Parliament lift the immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, as he had disregarded its preliminary decision to appear before the prosecution during the investigation against him.
SPAK is seeking to replace Berisha’s current measure of “mandatory appearance” with house arrest.
The prosecution has also prohibited the former Albanian leader from leaving the country, as he is under investigation for suspicions of “passive corruption” in the case of the privatization of the former “Partizani” sports complex.
Berisha has stated that he will honor any decision the Parliament makes regarding the prosecutors’ request.
“I will respect any decision after Parliament’s authorization without any discussion. My repeated stance is related to the constitutionality of the country,” said Berisha.
It is expected that the Speaker of Parliament will inform the members of the Mandate Committee and convene a meeting of this Committee to review the prosecutors’ request.
According to parliamentary procedure, Berisha himself is called to be part of the meeting to report on the case. After reviewing the request, the Committee has two weeks to draft a report, which is then sent to Parliament for a vote.
On October 22, SPAK declared that Berisha is suspected of “passive corruption”.
Berisha has denied the accusations.
On the same day, his son-in-law, Jamarbër Malltezi, was arrested, but later, the security measure against him was reduced to house arrest.
SPAK’s investigation began after a complaint filed in 2020 by Taulant Balla, the current Minister of Interior. The complaint emphasized that “Jamarbër Malltezi illegally privatized the Partizani complex for around 100,000 euros, while several residential buildings have been erected in the area. This was achieved through favorable decisions of the government led by Sali Berisha”.
The “Partizani” sports complex, covering an area of 26,000 square meters, was privatized in 2008 and was owned by the Ministry of Defense until then.
Around 22,000 square meters belonged to the 64 heirs of five families of former owners, including Jamarbër Malltezi, while another 4,000 square meters were state property. At the end of the process of returning this property, Jamarbër Malltezi managed to acquire 35% of the entire property, including the part that was state land.
According to the complaint submitted to SPAK, this was done through questionable decisions of the government of Sali Berisha. With the acquired area, Jamarbër Malltezi and his partner Fatmir Bektashi have built several towers.
