Phoinike

Main Menu

  • Albania Real Estate
  • Albania Lending
  • Albania Credit
  • Albania Economy
  • Loans

Phoinike

Header Banner

Phoinike

  • Albania Real Estate
  • Albania Lending
  • Albania Credit
  • Albania Economy
  • Loans
Albania Real Estate
Home›Albania Real Estate›US sanctions former Albanian leader Berisha for corruption

US sanctions former Albanian leader Berisha for corruption

By Blake G. Keller
May 19, 2021
0
0



The United States on Wednesday sanctioned former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha for alleged “significant corruption” and barred him, his wife and children from entering the United States.

Berisha, 76, who was also President of Albania from 1992 to 1997, is currently an MP representing the opposition Democratic Party.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that during Berisha’s tenure as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013, the politician “was involved in acts of corruption, such as embezzlement of public funds and the ‘interference with public processes, in particular by using its power for its own benefit. and enrich his political allies and members of his family.

The statement alleged that “Berisha’s own rhetoric demonstrates that he is prepared to protect himself, his family members and his political allies at the expense of independent investigations, anti-corruption efforts and accountability measures.”

In response, Berisha lamented Blinken’s accusations and urged the US administration or anyone in the world “to make public any evidence or document” that supports US sanctions.

Berisha’s successor at the head of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, also called for “full transparency on any evidence or document” linked to the US decision. He described Berisha as the Albanian leader who made “the most remarkable contribution to the development of the country and to the strengthening of democracy”.

Berisha was the first leader of the center-right Democratic Party, which was formed in December 1990 after a student protest overthrew the Communist Albanian regime.

He was elected Albania’s second post-communist president in 1992. During his presidency, a pyramid system in which many Albanians lost their savings brought the country to the brink of anarchy.

The Democratic Party won the 2005 election and Berisha became Prime Minister for two terms until 2013. Since then he has been a member of parliament, and was recently re-elected last month.

Berisha is the fourth senior Albanian official to be banned from entering the United States over alleged involvement in corruption, after former Attorney General Adriatik Llalla, former lawmaker Tom Doshi and Vangjush Dako, former mayor of the western port city of Durres.

The fight against corruption has been the Achilles heel of post-communist Albania, strongly affecting the democratic, economic and social development of the country.

“The corrupt acts of former Albanian President Sali Berisha have undermined democracy in Albania,” Blinken tweeted Wednesday.

A key justice reform was approved in 2016 after direct involvement from Washington and the European Union. Many judges and prosecutors have been dismissed for alleged corruption and illegal gain of property and money.

“With this designation, I reaffirm the need for accountability and transparency in democratic institutions in Albania, government processes and the actions of Albanian officials,” Blinken said of the sanctions against Berisha.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Berisha was the second president of Albania after the fall of communism, not the first.

___

Follow Llazar Semini on https://twitter.com/lsemini





Related posts:

  1. Keller Williams expands in Albania and Mongolia
  2. The Port Orange restaurant offers Greek cuisine “ with an Albanian touch ”
  3. Police: Albanian wounded with knife 5 at Tirana mosque
  4. Citizens Against The Mafia – OpEd – Eurasia Review
Tagseuropean unionprime ministerunited states

Recent Posts

  • US Company: Likely Iranian Threat Actor in Albania Cyberattack
  • Albania’s c-bank raises policy rate to 1.75% amid heightened inflationary pressures
  • Greece’s demographic problem | eKathimerini.com
  • Who is Peter Lumaj? CT’s perennial conservative candidate tries his luck in US Senate race – Hartford Courant
  • The Cabinet affirms the government’s interest in raising the level of services

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020

Categories

  • Albania Credit
  • Albania Economy
  • Albania Lending
  • Albania Real Estate
  • Loans
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy