Speaking at a meeting of the ruling Socialist Party (SP) assembly in the northern city of Lezha, Rama said corruption had not been eradicated but was at lower levels than in the past.

“I am not saying we have eliminated corruption, but I can say this: never before has Albania fought corruption as it is doing now. And secondly, corruption is lower than ever before,” Rama said.

He acknowledged that public perception of corruption may be amplified by political debate and what he described as misinformation, as well as by the impact of enforcement efforts.

Rama argued that economic indicators contradict claims of increasing corruption, pointing to rising wages and pensions driven by higher state revenues.

“How can corruption be rising while wages are increasing at the same time? This does not happen in countries where corruption is growing,” he said. “Wages and pensions rise because state revenues increase, while corruption is assumed to divert those revenues into a few pockets. The two cannot go together.”

He added that broader participation in public procurement processes also runs counter to claims of worsening corruption.

Rama pointed to the expansion of online public services as further evidence of progress, contrasting it with past reliance on in-person procedures.

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Organized by the OSCE Presence, the course aimed to strengthen Albania’s institutional and operational capacities to investigate complex financial crimes.

The event brought together prosecutors from the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) and district prosecution offices, investigators from the National Bureau of Investigation, officers from the Albanian State Police and representatives from the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and the Tax Investigation Unit.

Participants shared regional experiences and practical methodologies to tackle corruption and financial crime more effectively.

Through in-depth sessions and case-based discussions, participants examined effective approaches to preventing corruption in public procurement, detecting illicit financial flows, tracing proceeds of crime and reinforcing international co-operation in criminal investigations.

Opening the event, Catherine Dunmore, Senior Legal Officer at the OSCE Presence in Albania, emphasized that financial crime and corruption continue to undermine public trust and the rule of law.

She highlighted the importance of sustained inter-institutional co-ordination among prosecutors, investigators and law enforcement authorities to strengthen accountability, integrity and effectiveness within Albania’s justice chain.

The course saw the contribution of five distinguished experts: Colonel Giampiero Carrieri, Diplomatic Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Albania; General Giovanni Salerno, Commander of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit of Italy’s Guardia di Finanza; Mirko Kučina, Head of the Economic Crime and Corruption Service at the Croatian National Police; Vedran Libl, Deputy Director of the State Prosecutor’s Office for the Suppression of Organized Crime and Corruption (USKOK); and Hergis Jica, Head of the Co-ordination Affairs Sector at the EUROPOL Directorate of the Albanian State Police.

The OSCE Presence in Albania organized the activity through cross-departmental collaboration, reflecting its integrated approach to promoting transparency, resilience and co-operation across the justice and security sectors.

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The U.S. Ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim reacted to the new rule, saying it will further the fight against corruption in the United States and around the world.

“This rule will greatly further work to fight corruption and its corrosive effects on democracy and rule of law – both at home and around the world,” U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim said.

Following is the full Statement by Secretary of Treasury Yellen on the new rule under the Corporate Transparency Act:

Today, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule implementing the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting provisions. The rule will enhance the ability of FinCEN and other agencies to protect U.S. national security and the U.S. financial system from illicit use and provide essential information to national security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies; state, local, and Tribal officials; and financial institutions to help prevent drug traffickers, fraudsters, corrupt actors such as oligarchs, and proliferators from laundering or hiding money and other assets in the United States.

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Justice Minister acknowledged that the ongoing process has led to dismissal of many magistrates, but she described it a price worth paying in order to overhaul the country’s justice system and clean it from corrupt judges and prosecutors with links to organized crime.

Speaking about Albania’s participation in the UN General Assembly session against corruption and what Albania could offer to this session, Gjonaj noted “this is the first time the General Assembly hosts a special session against corruption to discuss measures every country should take to deliver in the fight against graft.”

“In my political statement, I affirmed readiness of the Albanian government not only for the fact that the government has made fight against corruption a top priority, but also our commitment to provide all the conditions, not only to prevent corruption, but also combat it, when also linked with money laundering, and sequestration of the crime proceeds and assets generated through illicit activities, which were on focus of the special UN General Assembly session,” Gjonaj said.

Gjonaj underlined that corruption is a global phenomenon as representatives of various countries underlined in the speeches they delivered at the General Assembly session.

“It is not that we are optimistic, but we outlined a series of measures Albania has adopted to combat corruption. We all definitely agree that the fight against corruption begins with independent, impartial and corruption-free justice system. Albania’s commitment is clearly demonstrated through its approach to combat corruption, starting with the judicial reform, establishment of new justice bodies tasked with fighting high-level corruption, and by revolutionizing the public service delivery systems through online platforms, or a series of mechanisms designed to prevent corruption practices,” she said.

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