TIRANA, Sep 27 – Organized crime in Albania is a real challenge, and it requires a multi-dimensional, organized and joint approach between all institutions and political actors, the country’s president said this week.
President Bujar Nishani made the comments in an interview for Voice of America during a visit to New York, saying “the fight against organized crime must begin with an action plan that aims to cut ties between politics and crime.”
“If we are not successful in cutting ties between organized crime and politics, then every step in our way will be infected and will not achieve results in fighting criminal groups,” Nishani said. “I call on all law enforcement agencies, government and institutions to not hesitate and be committed in fighting organized crime. Organized crime is the evil to all individuals, communities, agencies and societies.”
On July 21, Albania approved a major legislative package to reform the justice system after 18 months of negotiations between the Socialist Party led-majority and the opposition.
The reform aims to redefine the judiciary system and free it from corruption as well as break ties between judges and prosecutors with politics and crime.
The main debates between political parties were revolved around the vetting process, the verification of the credentials of judges and prosecutors.
President Nishani did not veto the reform package, regardless of concerns over some of the amendments.
However, he told VoA that he had some reserves about some bylaws that “could have been corrected if political parties would have been consulted with the President’s office prior to sending the bill to parliament for approval.”
“I believe that the office of the President is an institution that represents the dignity and integrity of the Albanian state. The office can not become a merely administrative establishment that is tasked to draft procedural materials for institutions that rank below in the state hierarchy,” Nishani said.
The head of state noted a potential danger to the process due to some of the bylaws that aim the inclusion of institutions that are under the administration of the government such as the internal audit office at the Ministry of Interior Affairs or the Anti Money Laundering department, which according to Nishani do not generate faith for many important processes.
“Since I disagreed with some of the articles of the law, naturally I did not become part of the direct approval, but the decree was done in silence as part of the President’s constitutional provisions,” Nishani said.
The Albanian president praised the role, commitment, persistence and expertise of the country’s international partners such as the United States and European Union saying that their “assistance is more than welcomed.”
During the interview, Nishani was asked to comment about the electoral reform which he described as “one of the most fundamental matters of freedom and democracy.”
“If we do not have a free and fair electoral process, Albania’s image will be damaged along with the country’s prosperity and implementation of reforms” Nishani said.
