Albania – is it corruption or not?
Albania joins the large group of countries where very high level politicians are arrested and will be tried for corruption. Nine months ago the present mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, one of the most senior politician of the opposition Socialist Party, was arrested on corruption charges and has complained of his arrest, as he has been jailed and continues to be the mayor, while being incarcerated. The Washington Post notes that maybe this should be looked at more closely. “The thrice-elected mayor is one of several top officials in Albania and neighboring countries who are being pursued by aggressive new prosecutors, part of an ambitious attempt to reform the justice systems in nations seeking to join the European Union.” The question that The Washington Post addresses are the concerns that many have, including Mr. Veliaj who is concerned as be believes that the special prosecutors are an unelected, untouchable force with unchecked and unaccountable powers. He felt that the that the case against him was built on gossip, anonymous letters, fabrications, and baseless claims.
Why do we care and what should be done? This is an important issue and should not be overlooked. Illegitimate arguments and cases have been used by governments to go after political opponents as the country needs to achieve E.U. standards of government competence, transparency, and fairness. They need to show Brussels that they run clean elections, protect human rights and prosecute corruption as public corruption is a massive challenge. In this instance, it is important to follow the case, to ensure that the prosecution is following the law, not going after political opponents. We rely on CSOs and international oversight, for this information as well as media focus. This article is a good reminder that there are clearly two sides to a corruption story.
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