Abuse of office is not a gray area, but pure corruption

2026-03-27 13:20:00, Politikë CNA

Democratic Party of Albania MP Belind Këlliçi has reacted to a recent directive adopted by the European Parliament, emphasizing that "abuse of office" should be considered corruption and a criminal offense.

According to Këlliç, abuse of office is no longer a "gray area" or a common violation, but a pure form of corruption, stripped of any alibi.

He underlined that this standard has already been confirmed by the European Union itself, following the approval of the directive by the 27 member states.

The MP criticized the way in which, according to him, abuse of office is treated in Albania, describing it as a common governmental practice with minor legal consequences. In contrast, he said that in Brussels this act is considered serious corruption and is punished as such.

Këlliçi stressed that this development constitutes a clear message for countries aiming for European integration, adding that respecting anti-corruption standards is essential for the EU membership process.

"Abuse of office is no longer a "gray area" nor a common offense as the rotten government in Albania has tried to "package" it."

But corruption, pure, stripped of any alibi.

And this is no longer said by the opposition, nor by Albanian journalists, but by the European standard itself. The directive approved yesterday by the European Parliament definitively sealed with the approval of representatives of 27 countries that this violation constitutes a criminal offense.

In Tirana, abuse of office constitutes a routine of governance, as the last refuge of the corrupt and the extortionists of Albanians, being even considered a skill, and receiving minimal punishments. But in Brussels it is called by its real name, corruption, a criminal offense punishable as serious abuse.

If there is a skeptic left who believes that propaganda leads to the EU, this is the opportunity to understand the difference between a government that invents the normality of theft and a Europe that shows the limits even to abuse of office.

Despite the opposition's continued efforts to denounce this "lifeboat" for hundreds of corrupt officials, this clear signal from Brussels was needed that in order to integrate, any deviation from standards is paid with exclusion.

The message is direct to the narco-power of the autocrat Rama who seeks at all costs to treat corruption as a social problem and not a "brand" of criminal governance. Europe does not negotiate with corruption, it criminalizes it from the very beginning: "abuse of office". Period.

This is a guarantee for citizens that their taxes are a basic right that requires transparency and accountability.

Don't forget, Rama may call it skill. The European Parliament calls it corruption.

"The fate of this country is divided between these two words," writes Këlliçi./ CNA