Prime Minister Rama considered the latest report on money laundering published by the United States Department of State as not being correct regarding Albania. Rama made his comments during an interview with Ylli Rakipi at MCN TV, after Rakipi mentioned the report of the US Department of State on money laundering, where it was stated that the Albanian government made no significant progress toward thwarting money laundering and financial crimes in 2020. “This does not reflect the reality,” said the Prime Minister, adding that “We have done everything we had to do, based on the recommendations of MONEYVAL, and based on the action plan. To say that we have done nothing, they don’t have information, they don’t have information to say the least,” said Rama.
The United States Department of State report on Money Laundering in 2020, stated also that “Albania remains vulnerable to money laundering due to corruption, organized crime networks, and weak legal and government institutions.” The report went further with its analysis, by saying that “the country has a large cash economy and informal sector, with significant money inflows from abroad in the form of remittances and diverse investments. Major proceeds-generating crimes in Albania include drug trafficking, tax evasion, and smuggling. Albanian criminal organizations have links to networks operating in Europe and South America.”
