The former leader will be forced to stay in his house while he is investigated over possible corruption.
ADVERTISEMENTAn Albanian court has ordered house arrest for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party:
He is being investigated for alleged corruption.
Judge Irena Gjoka accepted prosecutors’ request to put 79-year-old Berisha under house arrest after he violated the previous restrictive measures of reporting every two weeks.
He was also barred from travelling abroad.
Berisha's lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, said the court has also barred Berisha from communicating with people other than members of his family who live with him.
Gjokutaj said he would appeal the court order, with members of his legal team saying: “None of the legal criteria required for imposing or escalating such restrictions are met in this case.”
Albanian media outlets reported the arrival of police officers at Berisha’s apartment in downtown Tirana. It is not clear how officers planned to monitor him.
Last week, parliament voted to strip Berisha of his legal immunity. Lawmakers loyal to Berisha tried to disrupt the session and boycotted the vote.
Berisha has criticised the investigation of him and his arrest as political repression ordered by Prime Minister Edi Rama. He has warned of “powerful protests.”
Depriving Berisha of communication may become a wider political issue because he’s the leader of the main opposition party.
In October, prosecutors publicly put Berisha under investigation for allegedly abusing his post to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, privatise public land to build 17 apartment buildings.
Prosecutors have yet to file formal charges in court and Berisha is still technically under investigation.
Berisha served as Albania’s prime minister from 2005-2013 and as president from 1992-1997. He was re-elected as a lawmaker for the Democratic Party in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
The United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 barred Berisha and close family members from entering their countries because of alleged involvement in corruption.
The case comes at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonising Albanian laws with those of the EU as part of the Balkan country’s path toward full membership in the bloc.