New President, Ilir Meta, has been accused of corruption many times by his political opponents in the last 25 years, though the charges against him have always been overthrown.
The two biggest allegations that were even part of an investigative process are:
The video published from the investigative programme “Fiks Fare” :
In January 2011, while Ilir Meta was in a government coalition with the Democratic Party, “Fiks Fare” investigative programme in Albania , broadcasted a conversation between Meta and Dritan Prifti, which was Economy Minister at that time.
In the video was seen Meta talking to Prifti about intervening in a public tender and discussing the bribes stemming from it. Then the two of them were seen in the video as they were discussing about unfair influences on public assignments to favor SMI party candidates. Thereafter, it turned out that the video was published by Prifti, who was removed from his ministerial post next September. Meta then took up his post.
After the video was released, Meta resigned from the government saying he was open for investigation, but referred to the video as an “action” of the criminal groups.
The video triggered protests that were headed by the opposition’s leader at that time Edi Rama. On January 21, the protest became violent and four protesters were killed and dozens were injured by the Republican Guard.
Meta was accused for corruption in May 2011 after the General Prosecutor opened an investigation against him. If the court declared him guilty he would have faced two years of prison and a penalty of 7000 euro.
The Prosecution considered the video being original and used expert testimonies from America and Britain.
However, the Supreme Court cleared Meta in January 2012 of all allegations, citing the lack of evidences, as three Albanian experts – employed by the court – declared the video being montage.
“BIRN” Investigation on the issue of contracts between CEZ and DIA
Meta once again ended up accused of corruption in September 2015, following a BIRN investigation that revealed that a law firm representing the Albanian energy firm EDO (Energy Distribution Operator) claimed that the SMI leader had received bribes from the collection agency Debt, Debt International Advisory, DIA.
The indictment appeared as part of a dispute between EDO and DIA, which was presented at the Vienna International Arbitration Center in 2013. DIA filed a lawsuit against EDO, which was then owned by the Czech energy giant, CEZ.
A motion for annulling the case, filed by arbitrary center by EDO lawyers, Clifford Chance, admits that Meta was one of the beneficiaries of a fraudulent payment of 4.5 million euros from CEZ Shpërndarje to DIA in 2010 and 2011.
During a parliamentary session in October 2015, Meta attacked BIRN Albania and denounced BIRN’s investigation as a “mafia” conspiracy against him. Meta was never indicted on the matter and was not involved in the prosecutions subsequent of DIA. Opposition politicians demanded an international investigation, headed by foreign prosecutors, but it never started. Albania won the dispute in arbitration in the technical procedure. The owner of DIA, Kastriot Ismailaj was then charged by the Albanian Prosecution for money laundering and high fraud. His trial continues. One of the DIA directors, Rebecca Gaskin Gain, is thought to have collaborated with the authorities but was not charged.
Ismailaj was then arrested, charged with money laundering and high-level fraud.
In an interview for the Mapo magazine, published in August 2016, Meta described all the charges he faced as politically motivated. In an interview for the Mapo magazine, published in August 2016, Meta described all the charges he faced as politically motivated. He said that his life hasn’t been that easy, but he got recovered quickly, and that he has never been afraid of prison.
Meta was elected yesterday President of Albania so he cannot go under investigation, thus causing doubts about his political future .
