PM: Fighting corruption tops gov’t agenda

TIRANA, Dec. 9 – Prime Minister Edi Rama said this week the fight against corruption is on top of his government’s agenda. Speaking at a meeting where his strategy against corruption for the next four years was introduced, Rama accused the former government of then-Prime Minister Sali Berisha of letting corruption reign free more than any other cabinet in the past.
The ceremony was also held on the international day against corruption.
Rama said that time has come when just words against corruption are not enough.
Albania ranked last in Europe in the Transparency International’s latest corruption perceptions index, 116 out of 177 countries. Last year it was 113rd.
According to the premier, time has come when everyone will be held accountable for his or her job.
Corruption is also one of the main issues that the European Union, where Albania wants to become a member one day and is taking slow integration steps, and the other intentional institutions have always put on top of the country’s shortcoming in the last more than two post-communist decades.
“In Albania, corruption is in every cell of the state organization,” said Rama.
He said that the new cabinet would be involved in deep restructuring reforms, saying that the fight against corruption is a basic priority of the new government.
There have been steps in that direction. The new government has taken to the prosecutor’s office many former officials accusing them of abuse of post and of public money.
That was culminated last week with the former defense minister Arben Imami. But Albanians area also seeing how some officials from the justice system have been arrested or cases against former top customs and taxation officials have been opened. They are also listening that some officials of some public offices, like the power corporation and customs are also penalized for abuse with their money.
Some leaders of small political parties, like Skender Gjinushi of the Social Democratic party, insist that the fight against corruption “starts from the head.” “In Albania, in the high political spheres, until nowadays, corruption has been legalized by [former Prime Minister] Sali Berisha,” said Gjinushi.
Berisha has not responded directly to such public accusations but has reacted in his social network also accusing the existing leftist leaders, especially Rama himself as belonging to the old communist leadership that is taking the country backward.