For the first time in the 30 years of Albania’s post-communist political transition, a once all-powerful leader stands accused of “passive corruption” over decisions made during his time in office.
Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister and current leader of the Democratic Party, Albania’s largest opposition party, was placed under house arrest on December 30.
Prosecutors accuse him of abusing the power of his office during his first term as prime minister, between 2005 and 2009. The case centers on the privatization of a sports center in Tirana, from which his son-in-law is alleged to have profited.
Berisha says the allegations are baseless and claims that they are a politically motivated attack by his adversary, the current Prime Minister Edi Rama.
From the ‘hope of democracy’ to the ‘underminer of democracy’
Sali Berisha’s political career, which spans 33 years, has certainly had its ups and downs. Hailed as the “hope of democracy” in the early days of his career after the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990s, the former communist and charismatic cardiologist became Albania’s first democratically elected president in 1992.
In 2021, he was described by the United States as an “underminer of democracy due to significant corruption” and was barred from entering the country. Now, at the age of 79, he is confined to his home and, according to his lawyer, barred from communicating with people “other than the family that lives with him.”
Authoritarian leadership
Once elected to power, it didn’t take long for Berisha’s leadership to turn authoritarian. He concentrated power in his hands, had independent journalists and opposition leaders arrested, ejected opponents from his party, fired anyone who was critical of him and used the courts to prosecute his political opponents.
After the collapse in 1997 of the Ponzi-type schemes he tolerated and encouraged, he was removed from power following a popular revolt.
Following widespread discontent at the corruption of successive socialist governments, Berisha returned to power eight years later, this time as prime minister, and ruled the country from 2005 to 2013. During his time as premier, Berisha exerted both influence and pressure on Albania’s judiciary.
Is support for Berisha dwindling?
“Berisha remains controversial because of accusations that his rule resulted in bloodshed and the loss of innocent civilian lives, as in the high-profile case of Gerdec, where 28 citizens died in an incident linked to the dismantling of ammunition, allegedly involving Berisha’s son. There was also the case of the deaths of four innocent protesters in 2011 while Berisha was prime minister,” Aleksander Cipa, an independent political analyst in Tirana, told DW.
“In all these cases, there have been no independent investigations regarding his explicit or implicit responsibility and involvement, nor any accountability,” Cipa added.
Berisha has responded to recent events by calling for civil disobedience, trying to make his personal and family fight a national one. So far, he has not got much backing. His fellow lawmakers in the Democratic Party have tried to cause chaos in parliament, disrupting proceedings with flares, but support for him on the street has dwindled.
Albania’s difficult road to the EU
Albania has been in a perpetual and tumultuous state of political and economic transformation for three decades. Throughout this time, corruption at the highest level has dogged its transition process, hampering NATO member Albania’s chances of joining the European Union.
“Once dubbed ‘Europe’s North Korea,’ there was optimism that Albania’s leadership would stride towards democracy and embrace of the rule of law, upholding the aspirations of its people for further integration and eventual accession to the EU,” Besar Likmeta, editor in chief at BIRN (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network), told DW.
“Regrettably,” added Likmeta, “its political evolution has taken an alternative route, converging more towards oligarchy and the permeation of state structures by vested interests.”
Hope of improvement
Nevertheless, the reform of the judiciary and the work of two relatively new judicial institutions, namely the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) and the National Bureau of Investigation, are giving rise to hope that the era of impunity for those involved in high-level corruption is coming to an end.
For 30 years, the judiciary was the most corrupt sector in post-communist Albania, with numerous judges and prosecutors using their influence to cement impunity at the highest level, protecting corrupt politicians and organized criminals.
Vetting process has brought dramatic change
Thanks to the introduction of a vetting process — the backbone of the country’s judicial reform, which is backed by the EU and the US — hundreds of judges and prosecutors have been removed from their posts because they were unable to provide evidence of the source of their wealth.
Over the last two years, the reformed judiciary has carried out many investigations, convictions, seizures and confiscations at the highest level of politics involving members of both the government and the opposition.
“Berisha’s house arrest and the investigations really shatter the myth of impunity in Albania. The fact that the person who was once the most powerful man in the country is being held accountable is setting a precedent for those who believe they are above the law,” Aleksander Cipa told DW.
When it comes to the fight against corruption, Albanians expect a lot from their reformed judiciary. Many hope that the Berisha case will herald the start of a new political era with new politicians who have nothing to do with the corruption of the past.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
