Anti-corruption drive needs to tackle lack of trust in judiciary, MP transparency, says report

TIRANA, June 30 – Albania has detailed anti-corruption and conflicts of interest regulations in place, but the existing legal framework is highly complex, and its stability is undermined by numerous and frequent amendments which are often subject to contradictory interpretation, according to a report released last week by the Council of Europe’s Group of States Against Corruption, GRECO. The report dealt with corruption prevention for members of parliament, judges and prosecutors.
“The Albanian judiciary, in particular, has been suffering from the low level of public trust and its position vis-a-vis other branches of power remains weak,” according to the report.
As concerns members of parliament, the openness and transparency of the parliament’s work is hampered by the lack of access to draft legislation before its formal adoption. The vulnerability of MPs to possible undue influence is apparent but is not subject to regulation, according to the report.
“The importance of having clear standards of professional conduct is not considered a priority, and a system for case by case notification of conflicts of interest does not exist,” the report notes. “Most importantly, despite the largely praised amendments to the Constitution which had limited MPs’ and judges’ immunity, their implementation has been obstructed by the absence of corresponding amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code.”
Fighting corruption remains a top priority for the country’s executive and society.
The European Commission, the Council of Europe and Albania’s own government has repeatedly mentioned the judicial reform, is needed in the country.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said he has been told by European leaders that “Albania cannot become an EU member with the current judiciary.”