TIRANA, June 25 – Albania’s efforts to counter terrorism remain hindered by corruption and flaws within the judicial system although progress has been made, the U.S. Department of State says in its latest Report on 2019 Terrorism.
“Corruption and barriers to information sharing among government agencies, insufficient intra-agency coordination, and a poorly functioning judicial system continued to hinder Albania’s law enforcement efforts at all levels,” the report reads.
Although the report states that support towards international CT efforts in 2019 continued and Albania contributed to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, threats remain in “FTFs returning from Iraq and Syria, Albanian youth being radicalized to terrorism, and Iran’s plotting against the resettled Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK).”
However, law enforcement cooperate extensively with INTERPOL and other international law enforcement bodies and efforts to increase the border security have increased, according to the report.
The U.S. Department also notes Albania’s progress in the framework of the cooperation with FATF and MONEYVAL; in June 2019, Albania enacted legislation to address concerns pointed out by MONEYVAL in 2018, but “actual implementation hinges on further regulations and action by the government.”
Furthermore, 26 community police units have joined on through local government projects as well as training provided by the U.S. government. As regards the vetting process, the U.S. Department states that the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) will obtain jurisdiction over organized groups terrorism cases upon its establishment, while the district prosecution offices will deal with the rest.
