TIRANA, Oct. 6/ATA/- Albania has made progress in the fight against corruption, according to the European Commission progress report.
“Good progress was made in the reporting period. Albanian authorities strengthened operational, coordination and monitoring capacities in the fight against corruption, thus meeting the condition for the first IGC. Albania has continued its efforts towards the establishment of a solid track record on 6 investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption cases,” according to EC report.
“The establishment of the Special Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime Structure (SPAK) was finalised in 2019 with the appointment of the Chief Special Prosecutor in December. With thirteen out of fifteen Special Prosecutors appointed, the Special Prosecution Office (SPO) is fully operational. On 30 July 2020 the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was also appointed by the High Prosecutorial Council and started performing his functions,” the report says.
“The temporary re-evaluation of all judges and prosecutors (vetting process) has advanced steadily, continuing to produce tangible results, hence meeting the condition for the first IGC. Under the aegis of the European Commission, the International Monitoring Operation has continued to oversee the process. More than 286 dossiers have been processed thus far, resulting in 62% dismissals, mostly for issues related to unjustified assets or resignations. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, the vetting institutions have continued to perform a number of important investigative activities in remote modality,” the report says. //a.i/
