12/30/2023 3:33 pm (current 12/30/2023 3:33 pm)
Berisha under suspicion of corruption ©APA/AFP
The leader of Albania's right-wing opposition, Sali Berisha, has been placed under house arrest. The special court responsible for corruption and organized crime ordered on Saturday, at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office, that the veteran politician was not allowed to leave his home in Tirana until further notice and was only allowed to communicate with family members, as the media reported. Albanian communications. reported. His lawyers want to appeal.
The Public Prosecutor's Office suspects the former prime minister of abuse of power in connection with the privatization of the Partizani sports center in Tirana, from which his son-in-law Jamarber Malltezi allegedly benefited. The Public Ministry is also investigating him. He is also under house arrest. The opposition leader denies the accusations. On December 21, Tirana's parliament lifted his immunity, paving the way for criminal investigations.
The US placed Berisha, 78, on its sanctions list in 2021 on suspicion of corruption. In 1992, Albanians elected him as the first freely elected president after the end of communism. He was prime minister from 2005 to 2013. Until 2013, Berisha also led the Democratic Party of Albania (PD), which he returned to lead last year.