An Albanian court has ordered the country’s former president and prime minister, Sali Berisha, to be placed under house arrest following an investigation into corruption cases while in office.
Prosecutors reportedly accused Berisha, 79, of influencing her daughter’s husband to privatize a state plot of land between 2005 and 2009 when he was prime minister. However, Berisha denied the allegations. Currently, the largest opposition party in Albania is headed by Berisha, the Democratic Party.
Aden applied to prosecutors to place Berisha under house arrest after violating a previous condition of appearing every two weeks. Judge Irena Gjoka of the Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime later granted it. Besides, the court has also banned him from traveling abroad.
After the court’s decision, Berisha’s lawyer, Jens Gojakutaj, said that the court accepted the state party’s request and ordered the house arrest. Berisha will appeal against the verdict.
Berisha alleged that Albania’s Prime Minister Idi Rama had engaged in a political conspiracy to suppress dissent. After the court’s verdict, Berisha said in a message on social media Facebook that no one can separate him from his supporters even if he is under house arrest, whether the police are present or not.
