TIRANA, Oct. 27 – No public official should have immunity from justice and Albania’s government must give concrete examples to show it is truly committed to fight corruption, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Hoyt Brian Yee, said this week in an interview for the Voice of America’s Albanian section.
“The first principle is that the law should be applicable for everyone the same way. No one should be above the law. We fully support prosecutors and judges and we also don’t believe that individuals should be targeted just because they belong to a political party,” Yee said. “The government should give a good example and show in front of citizens that they are dedicated to fight corruption, may it be with common citizens, high-level officials, foreigners, Albanians … and that Albania is serious in their efforts to fight corruption.”
Yee added the U.S. is very pleased with the progress that Albania has achieved in some areas that the U.S. has been able to contribute with the reforms, such as the judiciary reform.
“This is important not only for the rule of law and because of the conditions Albanians live in, but also because reforms are among the main conditions for Albania’s EU accession. We have supported Albania’s efforts in implementing reforms for the rule of law,” Yee said. “We are offering our technical expertise and financial assistance for building structures, training judges and prosecutors and assist them with their job. I cannot speak on individual cases, but we trust on the principles.
