TIRANA, Oct. 5 /ATA/ – Main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Sali Berisha appeared before the Anti-corruption and Organized Crime Special Structure (SPAK) on Monday as required under a reporting obligation linked to the “Partizani” case, and criticised proposed changes to Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code.
Speaking to reporters outside the prosecution office, Berisha said the proposed amendments could make criminal investigations more difficult and criticised SPAK for not publicly commenting on them.
“Can the central prosecutorial institution for public officials, SPAK, remain silent in the face of a law that paralyses investigations?” Berisha said.
He also criticised provisions he said would restrict the media’s ability to inform the public and would require prosecutors to submit evidence to a judge for approval without conducting a judicial assessment, which he said would effectively turn judges into investigators.
Berisha said the public interest and the rule of law required prosecutors to have the ability to fully investigate anyone suspected of wrongdoing.
He also referred to the Council of Europe, saying he had been informed during a recent visit to Strasbourg that the organisation did not support the latest amendments.
Berisha also criticised changes to the rules of the Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime (GJKKO), describing them as “open dictatorship” and comparing them with the handling of files by Albania’s communist-era State Security service.
He called on journalists to respond to what he described as dangerous censorship imposed by the changes.
Berisha is under investigation in the “Partizani” case, which concerns alleged corruption linked to the redevelopment of a former sports complex in Tirana.
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