Arrest of former President Ilir Meta on corruption allegations sends second key opposition leader into detention

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times October 31, 2024 23:21

Arrest of former President Ilir Meta on corruption allegations sends second key opposition leader into detention

Story Highlights

  • Meta’s arrest has sparked an outcry from opposition leaders, with his party and allies seeing the event as a targeted political attack. 

Related Articles

TIRANA, Oct. 21, 2024 - The arrest on Monday of former President Ilir Meta, who now heads the opposition Freedom Party, on orders of the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has sent shockwaves through Albania’s political landscape.

Meta faces allegations of corruption, money laundering and asset concealment, but his legal team and political allies have labeled the arrest a politically motivated attack by Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government. 

Meta is the only politician in Albania who has held all three of the country’s highest posts in his long political career, having served as a young prime minister in the 1990s, and speaker of parliament in the last decade before becoming head of state as president from 2017 to 2022. 

Videos filmed by bystanders showed police violently dragging Meta and his driver out of a vehicle in a very busy intersection in the outskirts in Tirana, in a detainment style that has drawn much criticism in the media due to the violence used, location chosen and Meta’s background. The former president had previously been invited and met with prosecutors at least two times and was heading to a press conference before he was arrested.  

The country's justice system, including SPAK, has been undergoing significant reforms in recent years to become independent and end a culture of impunity. SPAK has arrested and detained several politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. 

However, the opposition accuses SPAK of doing the government’s bidding in clearing the way for the next elections by arresting opposition leaders. Meta joins the main opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha in detainment, with Berisha being under house arrest for nearly a year. 

Meta’s arrest follows a prolonged investigation by SPAK into alleged corrupt activities, with the investigation starting back to 2019. According to the official statement, Meta is being investigated for passive corruption of high-ranking officials and for concealing assets. The investigation is part of a broader inquiry into the CEZ-DIA case, which involves corruption and mismanagement of state funds in the energy sector.

SPAK’s investigations also tie Meta to a series of financial misdeeds, including suspicious real estate transactions, undeclared income and improper relationships with business entities. His former wife, Monika Kryemadhi, a member of parliament and former leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) which later became FP, is also under investigation and faces her own detainment though not in jail. 

Both Meta and Kryemadhi have been accused of failing to declare significant financial activities and income, raising questions about their personal and political dealings. The former political power couple have since fallen out with each other and filed for divorce earlier this year. 

-Opposition says arrest is a political witch hunt ahead of elections-

Meta’s arrest has sparked an outcry from opposition leaders, with his party and allies framing the event as a targeted political attack. 

Meta’s lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, claimed his client was “kidnapped” in a “bandit-style” operation, arguing that the former president has consistently cooperated with authorities and the arrest was unnecessary. Tedi Blushi, secretary-general of the Freedom Party, described the arrest as “a declaration of war against the opposition,” accusing Prime Minister Rama of attempting to eliminate his political rivals ahead of the 2025 elections.

Similarly, former Prime Minister Berisha, who himself is under house arrest on alleged corruption, called the move “monstrous” and politically driven. He said Meta was “a political prisoner.”

“The prosecution of Ilir Meta is political and only political,” Berisha said in a press conference from house arrest. “They are following Edi Rama's orders to eliminate Ilir Meta politically and perhaps, perhaps even physically.”

Meta’s arrest comes at a time of significant political tension in Albania. With parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025, the Freedom Party now faces the challenge of campaigning without its leader. Political analyst Lutfi Dervishi told the media that this arrest will likely weaken the Freedom Party’s electoral chances, given that Meta has been its driving force. 

The arrest of a figure as prominent as Meta is a significant milestone in Albania’s fight against corruption, according to some analysts who view this as a potential turning point for the country’s judicial reforms, launched in 2016 with the support of the European Union and the United States. These reforms aimed to root out entrenched corruption within the government and strengthen the rule of law in a country long plagued by political patronage and criminal infiltration.

However, this optimism is tempered by concerns over the judiciary’s independence and accusations of “selective justice,” as several analysts told Albanian media. Critics argue that Albania’s justice system, while reformed, still faces pressure from political factions. Some worry that the prosecution of opposition leaders like Meta and Berisha may reinforce a perception that the justice system is being weaponized for political gain.

-SPAK issues information on investigation-

Some of the charges date back to a decade ago. The CEZ-DIA case, central to Meta’s legal troubles, dates back to his time as Minister of Economy, Trade, and Energy. SPAK alleges that Meta used his influence to secure a lucrative contract between CEZ Shpërndarje, an energy distribution company, and Debt International Advisory (DIA), a debt collection firm. According to prosecutors, this contract was granted under questionable circumstances, with DIA allegedly pocketing over 649 million leks (about $6 million) without meeting the legal and professional criteria required for such work.

In addition, SPAK has documented instances where Meta and Kryemadhi allegedly used their political influence to benefit from other deals, including contracts in Albania’s telecommunications sector. The couple is accused of improperly securing financial rewards from these business ventures, including undeclared assets and expenditures.

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times October 31, 2024 23:21