Albanian court dismisses deputy prime minister over alleged corruption

An Albanian court dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku from her post after prosecutors indicted her for her alleged role in selecting a company for a government-funded tunnel project.

Balluku did not provide an immediate reaction. However, during Wednesday’s parliament session, she called the accusations “slander, insinuations, half-truths and lies” and said she would fully cooperate with the authorities.

Balluku, who also served as Infrastructure and Energy Minister, is a close ally of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who secured his fourth consecutive term in power earlier this year. The Special Court for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime did not provide further details about its decision, “given that such measures are confidential in nature.”

On October 31, the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) said it had indicted Balluku for violating the equality of participants in a competition or public auction. The charges concern a 5.9-kilometer tunnel in southern Albania, at a cost of approximately 190 million euros.

The indictment obtained by Reuters states that Balluku, in her role as Infrastructure Minister, improperly influenced the decision in favor of the winning company. It also says she acted in collaboration with five other members of the committee that issued the decision.

Albania aims to join the European Union by 2030, but the EU has demanded that the country take stronger action against corruption.

[Reuters/AMNA]