Albania: Fight against high-level corruption gains traction

For the first time in the 30 years of Albania's post-communist political transition, a once all-powerful leader stands accused of "passive corruption" over decisions made during his time in office.

Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister and current leader of the Democratic Party, the largest opposition party in Albania, was placed under house arrest on December 30.

Prosecutors have accused Berisha of abusing the power of his office during his first term as prime minister from 2005 to 2009. The case centers on privatizing a sports center in Tirana, from which his son-in-law allegedly profited.

Berisha has said the allegations are baseless, claiming they are a politically motivated attack by his adversary, the current Prime Minister Edi Rama.

From the 'hope of democracy' to undermining democracy 

Berisha's political career, which spans 33 years, has had its ups and downs. Hailed as the "hope of democracy" in the early days of his career after the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990s, the former communist and charismatic cardiologist became Albania's first democratically elected president in 1992.

But in 2021, he was publicly designated by the  United States "due to his involvement in significant corruption" and was barred from entering the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter, now X, that "Berisha's corrupt acts [had] undermined democracy in Albania."

Now, at the age of 79, he is confined to his home and, according to his lawyer, prohibited from communicating with people "other than the family that lives with him."

Authoritarian leadership

Once Berisha was elected to power, it didn't take long for his leadership to turn authoritarian. He concentrated power in his hands, had independent journalists and opposition leaders arrested, ejected opponents from his party, fired anyone who was critical of him and used the courts to prosecute his political opponents.

After the collapse in 1997 of the Ponzi-type schemes he tolerated and encouraged, Berisha was removed from power following a popular revolt.

Following widespread discontent at the corruption of successive socialist governments, he returned to power eight years later, this time as prime minister, and ruled the country from 2005 to 2013. During his time as premier, Berisha exerted both influence and pressure on Albania's judiciary.

Is support for Berisha dwindling?

"Berisha remains controversial because of accusations that his rule resulted in bloodshed and the loss of innocent civilian lives, as in the high-profile case of Gerdec, where 28 citizens died in an incident linked to the dismantling of ammunition, allegedly involving Berisha's son," Aleksander Cipa, an independent political analyst in Tirana, told DW. "There was also the case of the deaths of four innocent protesters in 2011 while Berisha was prime minister," he added.

"In all these cases, there have been no independent investigations regarding his explicit or implicit responsibility and involvement, nor any accountability."

Berisha has responded to recent events by calling for civil disobedience, trying to make his personal and family fight a national one. So far, he hasn't received much backing. His fellow lawmakers in the Democratic Party have tried to cause chaos in parliament, disrupting proceedings with flares, but support for him on the street has dwindled.

Albania faces a difficult road to the EU

Albania has been in a perpetual and tumultuous state of political and economic transformation for three decades. Throughout this time, corruption at the highest level has dogged its transition process, hampering NATO member Albania's chances of joining the European Union.

"Once dubbed 'Europe's North Korea,' there was optimism that Albania's leadership would stride toward democracy and the embrace of the rule of law, upholding the aspirations of its people for further integration and eventual accession to the EU," Besar Likmeta, editor-in-chief at the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, told DW.

"Regrettably, its political evolution has taken an alternative route, converging more toward oligarchy and the permeation of state structures by vested interests."

Nevertheless, the reform of the judiciary and the work of two relatively new judicial institutions, namely the Special Anti-Corruption Structure and the National Bureau of Investigation, are giving rise to hope that the era of impunity for those involved in high-level corruption is ending.

For 30 years, the judiciary was the most corrupt sector in post-communist Albania, with numerous judges and prosecutors using their influence to cement impunity at the highest level, protecting corrupt politicians and organized criminals.

Vetting process has brought dramatic change

The introduction of a vetting process — the backbone of the country's judicial reform, which is backed by the EU and the US — has led to the removal of hundreds of judges and prosecutors from their posts because they could not provide evidence of the source of their wealth.

Over the last two years, the reformed judiciary has carried out many investigations, convictions, seizures and confiscations at the highest level of politics involving members of both the government and the opposition.

"Berisha's house arrest and the investigations really shatter the myth of impunity in Albania. The fact that the person who was once the most powerful man in the country is being held accountable is setting a precedent for those who believe they are above the law," Cipa told DW.

Albanians now expect a lot from their reformed judiciary when it comes to the fight against corruption. Many hope that the Berisha case will herald the start of a new political era, with new politicians who have nothing to do with the corruption of the past.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan

This article was amended on January 4 to correct a quote attributed to the United States administration.