Albania Steps Up Fight Against Organized Crime

TIRANA, Oct 22 – The government passed a law that lets its law enforcement authorities to confiscate the properties, finances of the criminal suspects even though they might not be under investigation.
The cabinet passed a draft law with amendments on the confiscation of the properties belonging to persons that are still not under investigation but who have suspected income and also make a living beyond their legal financing limits.
Albania has already passed legislation letting it to confiscate the properties of the persons involved in terrorist activities, which it has done in some cases.
The recent draft law goes was needed along the country’s efforts to complete the road map set from the European Union on the visa free regime.
Albania is considered to be a transit country for illegal traffic of drugs and persons.
It has also been considered an appropriate country to serve as a place for terrorist activities though it has hit many such efforts.
In recent move authorities put under arrest a young man of Muslim origin for trying to make religious subversion in an internet site.
Albania has also confiscated some properties and also frozen bank accounts of individuals or non-governmental organizations declared under the terrorist stamp from international institutions, like the United Nations, or the United States.
The recent move tries to include also persons who are not considered suspects for such criminal acts but who also make a ‘rich’ living that are not supported from their income resources.
The draft law says that law authorities may confiscate properties or bank accounts of persons who living is not justified with their legal resources.
Albania is trying to complete the request of the European Union’s road map on the visa-free regime which it hopes to achieve within the first half next year.
Fighting organized crime and border management are two key conditions set in that road map.
The Albanian government has made it clear that fighting organized crime and terrorism remain top priorities in its daily activities.