The arrest of Meta/ DASH: We support SPAK in the fight against corruption

2024-10-23 09:46:00, Aktualitet CNA

The US State Department said that Washington supports the efforts of the Special Structure against Corruption in Albania (SPAK).

This is what a DASH spokesperson told Voice of America when asked to comment on the arrest of the former president of Albania, Ilir Meta.

"We are aware of the arrest. We refer you to the Albanian authorities for further details regarding the case. The United States supports Albania's progress toward the rule of law, including SPAK's efforts to prosecute high-level corruption and organized crime in accordance with the law," said the DASH spokesperson.

Meta, who leads the Lira Party, was arrested on October 21 by order of SPAK. He is suspected of corruption, money laundering and concealment of assets.

The Lira Party and the other opposition entity, the Democratic Party, have described Meta's arrest as political.

Meta has held several important positions in the state hierarchy as president, speaker of the Assembly, prime minister, minister of foreign affairs and minister of economy.

His arrest sparked major reactions in Albania, as his party said he was arrested by force.

The police and the Albanian interior minister, Ervin Hoxha, justified the use of force during the arrest of Meta, after they said that the former president had refused to get out of the car he was traveling in and had insulted the police officials.

What did SPAK say?

SPAK emphasized on October 21 that Meta and his wife, Monika Kryemadhi, "in collaboration with each other, but also with other public officials, have been involved in the commission of several criminal offenses".

The investigations against Meta started in 2019 in connection with the affair known as ÇEZ-DIA, which is related to the privatization of the energy distribution company and the collection of remaining debts.

Three years later, another case has been opened, following a complaint about payments worth thousands of euros undeclared by the party led by Meta, for lobbying in the United States.

The two cases are then merged into a single one in 2024.

The Special Prosecutor's Office said that Meta, in the capacity of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, "used his authority and influence to interfere in the selection process of the DIA company to collect CEZ's debts, even though it did not meet the legal criteria and professional".

The prosecution said that Meta, as Speaker of the Assembly, and his wife as a deputy, in 2014 used their influence to introduce a company to the optical fiber market and then benefited from a percentage of the company's profits.

The Chairman of the Electronic and Postal Communications Agency (AKEP), Piro Xhixho, for whom the security measure "house arrest" has been imposed, is said to have influenced the leaders of the mobile phone company to finalize the agreement, but on the other hand, he allowed the private company to exercise its activity in violation of the AKEP law.

Among other things, SPAK said on October 21 that Meta and Kryemadhi are involved in corrupt relations with a businessman (SM), temporarily benefiting from a villa as a reward for the illegal influence they exerted on public officials appointed by LSI, in the interest of activities economic of the businessman in question.

Kryemadhi, by order of this businessman, has changed a law in the Parliament of Albania, SPAK said.

The investigations also showed that Meta and his wife did not declare the medical expenses incurred during the period 2013-2019, in the total value of 106 thousand euros.

Investigations are ongoing, with the aim of gathering evidence and to understand the involvement of other persons in these activities./REL