TIRANA, Oct 31 /ATA/-By Maela Marini/ The European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Albania, Andreas Schieder, stated today that the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) is an institution even more independent than its counterparts in the European Union.
During a press conference at the House of Europe, Schieder spoke about the Justice Reform and SPAK’s work, emphasizing that Albania has chosen the most radical approach to implementing this reform.
“I have closely followed the vetting process from the beginning through the media and the European Parliament. Considering that we also see other countries taking different approaches to Justice Reform, Albania has chosen the most radical path for modernizing the judicial system through the vetting process. This means thoroughly vetting everyone to determine whether they meet the technical requirements of professional training, among other criteria,” he added.
Schieder emphasized that this is a highly measurable and radical process, which has come at a cost, as the backlog has increased.
However, according to him, Albania is now at a stage where young professionals are entering the system, and the results of the reform are beginning to come to fruition.
Speaking about SPAK, Schieder emphasized that it is a fully independent institution.
“It is more independent than all other counterpart institutions in EU countries. It operates with a high level of autonomy. Of course, this fuels considerable debate, which also comes down to who is affected by the cases handled by SPAK. I have heard many criticisms directed at SPAK, including from some who are under investigation by SPAK, who criticize the institution for not investigating enough the individuals from other parties,” Schieder added.
In this regard, Schieder stated, “Politicians should not judge cases, which is why we have experts, prosecutors, and judges—that is why we have SPAK.”
“We need to let them do their work, and it appears that the process is ongoing. Of course, SPAK alone is not enough. Cases must go to court, which delivers the final decision, but we need to see that SPAK’s work has delivered an impact, because it is now very clear that no one is immune to prosecution. It does not matter whether you are a politician, a businessperson, a government official, or a journalist,” Schieder added.
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