TIRANA, Jan. 31 – Attached to a cartoon of U.S. Ambassador to Tirana Donald Lu fishing, the U.S. Embassy shared a Facebook post this week reminding politicians, judges and prosecutors the time they asked to fight organized crime is running out.
Speaking out for the international community, Ambassador Lu wrote Albanian politicians made promises for which both the EU and the United State provided resources to help them keep.
In turn, he wrote, the people are impatiently waiting to give an end to the lack of punishment towards “the big fish” .
“The international community wants concrete results before big decisions this spring. Tic-toc,” the post concluded.
The caricature depicting Lu fishing was posted by local media, along with questioning whether the “big fish” – namely, officials who are allegedly corrupt or have criminal ties — will be arrested now that January has passed.
The big decisions Ambassador Lu mentions are the start of accession negotiations with the EU, for which Prime Minister Edi Rama has been optimistic they will begin in May if EU officials deem the judicial reform in the country has been successful.
