Current:Home > MyAlbania’s ex-Prime Minister Berisha put under house arrest while investigated for corruption-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Albania’s ex-Prime Minister Berisha put under house arrest while investigated for corruption
View Date:2024-12-23 21:02:08
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court on Saturday ordered house arrest for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being investigated for possible corruption.
Judge Irena Gjoka of the First Instance Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which covers cases involving senior officials and politicians, accepted prosecutors’ request to put Berisha, 79, under house arrest after he violated the previous restrictive measures of reporting every two weeks. He was also barred from traveling abroad.
His lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, said the court also barred Berisha from communicating with people other than his family who lives with him, and considered the order a violation of law. Depriving Berisha of communication may become a wider political issue because he’s the leader of the main opposition party.
Gjokutaj said he would appeal the court order.
It is not clear how police officers would monitor Berisha at his apartment in downtown Tirana.
Last week, parliament voted to strip Berisha of his legal immunity. Lawmakers loyal to Berisha tried to disrupt the session and boycotted the vote.
Berisha has criticized his investigation and arrest as political repression ordered by Prime Minister Edi Rama, and has warned of “powerful protests.”
In October, prosecutors publicly put Berisha under investigation for allegedly abusing his post to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, privatize public land to build 17 apartment buildings. Prosecutors have yet to file formal charges in court and Berisha is still technically under investigation.
“Rama’s New Year postcard is the arrest and isolation of the opposition leader!” Berisha’s son Shkelzen posted on Facebook.
Prosecutors have said that if convicted, Berisha faces a prison sentence of up to 12 years.
Berisha served as Albania’s prime minister from 2005-2013, and as president from 1992-1997. He was reelected as a lawmaker for the Democratic Party in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
The United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 barred Berisha and close family members from entering their countries because of alleged involvement in corruption.
Just days before the investigation into Berisha’s role in the land deal was revealed in October, opposition lawmakers have regularly disrupted sessions of parliament to protest the ruling Socialists’ refusal to create commissions to investigate alleged cases of corruption involving Rama and other top government officials.
The Socialists say the plans are not in line with constitutional requirements.
The disruptions are an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU as part of the Balkan country’s path toward full membership in the bloc.
___
Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lsemini
veryGood! (24)
Related
- Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
- Judge fines Trump $5,000 after threatening prison for gag order violation
- Dolly Parton's first-ever rock 'n' roll album addresses global issues: I didn't think of that as political
- Last Chance: Save Up to 90% Off on Kate Spade Outlet Crossbodies, Shoulder Bags, Jewelry & More
- 2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
- Opinion: Did he really say that?
- These Sweet Photos of Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny's Romance Will Have You Saying I Like It
- Gov. Kathy Hochul learns of father's sudden death during emotional trip to Israel
- Who will be in the top 12? Our College Football Playoff ranking projection
- How a weekly breakfast at grandma's helped students heal from the grief of losing a classmate
Ranking
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- Reward grows as 4 escapees from a Georgia jail remain on the run
- When are Rudolph and Frosty on TV? Here's the CBS holiday programming schedule for 2023
- Biden is dangling border security money to try to get billions more for Israel and Ukraine
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Cesar Pina, a frequent on Dj Envy's 'The Breakfast Club', arrested for real estate Ponzi-scheme
- Opinion: Did he really say that?
- Astros' Bryan Abreu suspended after hitting Adolis Garcia, clearing benches in ALCS Game 5
Recommendation
-
Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
-
Author Salman Rushdie calls for defense of freedom of expression as he receives German prize
-
Kenneth Chesebro, Trump co-defendant in Georgia 2020 election case, pleads guilty
-
1 dead, 3 wounded in Arkansas shooting, police say
-
2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
-
Hezbollah official says his group already ‘is in the heart’ of Israel-Hamas war
-
College football Week 8 highlights: Catch up on all the scores, best plays and biggest wins
-
Q&A: The Pope’s New Document on Climate Change Is a ‘Throwdown’ Call for Action