In Albania, the government has approved a new package of recommendations aimed at decongesting the judicial system. Key proposals include increasing the use of summary proceedings and plea bargains, which have so far been very limitedly used by prosecutors. These tools are seen as having the potential to significantly reduce the country’s backlog of around 140,000 cases.
The recommendation is also addressed to the prosecution authorities, both at the local level and at the level of the special anti-corruption structures, to avoid unjustified delays in the investigation phases.
The Court of Appeals is also bearing a heavy burden, where the number of pending cases has reached 40,000. It is estimated that the immediate adjudication of cases could significantly reduce this burden.
Particular attention is paid to pre-trial detention: it is noted that any decision to restrict freedom must be based on sufficient evidence and not Be arbitrary. the government emphasizes that such measures should be strictly supervised by the courts.
Among the recommendations for 2025, the call for respect for individual rights and for the implementation of a more tolerant form of justice stands out, which is not limited only to prison sentences, but also strengthens alternative measures, such as community service and conditional sentences.
However, the current picture in Albanian prisons shows that the number of pretrial detainees remains higher than that of convicted prisoners. Specifically, 2,700 people are in pretrial detention, while the number of finally convicted prisoners is approximately 1,600.
In the field of combating corruption, 483 new cases were registered by special prosecutors in 2024, a number that represents around 70% of their total workload. In the same year, local prosecutors handled 2,030 cases related to offenses such as abuse of power, which remains the most frequent form of corruption.
