TIRANA, Jan.27 – The General Prosecution Office expressed reservations this week regarding changes to the role of the High Prosecution Council and the creation of an anticorruption unit as part of the justice reform.
General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla used a work trip to Croatia to voice his objections regarding the draft prepared by experts, by declaring that he favors the Croatian model for structuring the High Prosecution Council instead. The Prosecution Council in Croatia is an independent institution which consists of 11 members, 7 of which are prosecutors while the head of this structure is chosen from the ranks of prosecutors.
Meanwhile, the draft on justice reform in Albania foresees the establishment of the Prosecution Council as an independent structure containing a fragile majority of prosecutors, with a non-prosecutor expected to be in charge of the structure under the draft compiled by experts.
It appears that the General Prosecution Office doesn’t like the fact that the Prosecution Council will be headed by a member not coming from the ranks of prosecutors. General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla also expressed reservations regarding the creation of a special anticorruption structure, which unlike the Croatian model will function as a completely independent body.
According to the General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla, the Serious Crimes Court and Prosecution can very well play the role of the new structure, the creation of which is envisaged in the draft on justice reform. “The latter have been considered as a success story in Albania and need specialized structures and the necessary human resources to increase efficiency in the fight against corruption,” the press release of the General Prosecution Office reads.
During his stay in Zagreb, Llalla met with his Croatian counterpart Dinko Cvitan to discuss ways of increasing bilateral cooperation in the fight against corruption and economic crime.
