The State Department has so far refused to comment on the escalating corruption crisis that has gripped the Balkan country of Albania, a critical US ally in the region.
After an Albanian court ruled to remove Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku from office on charges of interfering in two construction tenders, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama appealed to the country’s Constitutional Court. The court reportedly reinstated Balluku on Friday pending a “final decision.”
The Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) filed criminal charges against Balluku on October 31, alleging that she was unfairly influenced to favor a particular company in a tender to build a tunnel about 6 kilometers long in southern Albania, Reuters reported. On November 21, the day she was removed from office, SPAK filed an additional charge of violating rules at a road construction project in Tirana.
On the eve of her court appearance in November, Balluku told parliament that the charges against her amounted to "mud, innuendo, half-truths and lies."
As the second member of Rama's government to face corruption charges since 2023, Balluku's case has sparked strong reactions from the prime minister's political opponents.
Agim Nesho, a former Albanian ambassador to the US and the UN, told Fox News Digital that the Balluku case shows that “the Rama government shows no willingness to take moral responsibility or let the judiciary function independently. Instead, it seems to seek to protect Ms. Balluku, presenting the actions of the judiciary as an attack on the executive branch.”
The former Albanian ambassador to Washington argued that “influencing the Constitutional Court may be an attempt to create a protective precedent – which could prove useful if prosecutors ever attempt to implicate Mr. Rama himself in their investigations.”
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the emperor is naked,” nesho said, Adding that rama’s rule amounts To a “state Takeover,” as “the absence Of checks and balances has allowed a recurring system of corruption across his multiple terms.”
Nesho also claimed that Balluku has implied broader involvement of the Rama government in decision-making. Former deputy prime minister Arben Ahmetaj, who is reportedly on the run after SPAK launched an investigation against him, has also alleged that Rama “guided all key decisions on tenders, finances and public property,” according to Nesho.
Ahmetaj's accusations included allegations that Rama has ties to mafia members. Rama responded to these insinuations by saying that Ahmetaj "should not be taken seriously. Albanian politics is not tainted by the mafia," Balkanweb reported.
The United States has funded efforts to reform Albania’s justice system as part of the country’s bid to join the European Union and to curb corruption. However, these reforms have led to a backlog of cases, sparking public frustration and even violent reactions.
Nesho said that “it is difficult to see how a government that behaves like a banana can join the EU,” adding that “Albania is a living contradiction in terms of law and order.”
Although, according to Nesho, Rama’s opposition has been “decimated through ‘legal warfare’ and the undermining of institutions,” the prime minister remains in power, despite “documented multi-billion dollar corruption scandals, proven electoral fraud in multiple election cycles, and, most worryingly, documented links to international drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa cartel.”
The allegations of Rama's ties to the Sinaloa cartel arose after he met with Luftar Hysa, a person linked to the cartel and sanctioned by the US Treasury Department. Rama told an Albanian media outlet that he met with Hysa only once.
Following Balluku's removal, Nesho argues that "popular anger is directed not only against her, but also against the irresponsible behavior of a regime that governs without accountability, abuses public property and public finances, and suffers no consequences, despite the reaction of society."
Nesho reported that many in the country call the prime minister by the nickname "Ramaduro," saying it is a "direct comparison to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro."
Rama's press office told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on Nesho's allegations against him.
In May 2021, the State Department imposed sanctions on former Prime Minister Sali Berisha over corruption allegations, barring him from entering the U.S. Fox News Digital asked the State Department if it was considering imposing similar sanctions on Balluku.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: "We do not comment on pending legal matters."
The US Embassy in Tirana gave the same answer when asked whether it would suspend Balluku's visa due to her removal from office.
