TIRANA, June 16 /ATA/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday denied allegations circulating on social media that he had used public funds for a recent private trip to Switzerland, saying neither he nor his family had ever travelled privately at taxpayers’ expense during his nearly three decades in public service.
Responding to a video shared online regarding his recent visit to Basel, the government head said he had travelled to Switzerland as a private guest of Art Basel, one of the world’s leading international contemporary art fairs, where his artwork has previously been exhibited.
“My wife and I travelled and stayed for a day and a half entirely at our own expense, as has always been the case on such occasions,” Rama said in a statement.
The Prime Minister also said that during his 13 years in office, neither he nor his family had taken holidays abroad using state resources.
Rama used the occasion to reject what he described as longstanding defamatory accusations directed at him throughout his political career, reiterating that all of his personal income had been earned legitimately.
Reflecting on his early years in public office, he recalled publicly declaring that no one would find “a single cent” in his possession that had not been earned through honest work, adding that he stood by that statement today.
Rama also criticised what he described as the spread of misinformation on social media, saying false allegations could circulate rapidly online while the truth often struggled to gain the same visibility.
He added that unfounded accusations were frequently driven by jealousy, hostility or political animosity, and argued that public debate should be based on facts rather than speculation.
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