Meta says he has full faith in his complete innocence following his arrest by the Special Prosecutors for Corruption (SPAK).
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Former Albanian President Ilir Meta was forcefully arrested in Tirana on Monday by the Special Prosecutors for Corruption (SPAK) on alleged corruption charges.
Meta is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and hiding personal income and property, according to his laywer Genc Gjokutaj.
Local media released footage from Meta's arrest, who was on his way back to Tirana from neighbouring Kosovo ahead of holding a news conference. The video shows masked police officers forcefully dragging the ex-president from his vehicle.
Meta is the leader of Albania's left-wing Freedom Party and served as the country's president from 2017 until 2022.
Meta has been a vocal opponent of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government, accusing him of running a “kleptocratic regime” and concentrating all legislative, administrative, and judiciary powers in Rama's hands.
On social media platform X, Meta says his "abduction today in the most bandit-like manner reveals the panic of the dictatorial regime when faced with the truth,," adding, "I have full faith in my complete innocence."
Meta's party's secretary-general, Tedi Blushi, called it “a criminal kidnapping". Meta's lawyer also condemned the way the politician was arrested.
"He was abducted on the road just as gangs do," Gjokutaj said. "The behaviour shown towards him was extremely against the law," he added.
It is not the first time the ex-president has been under investigation by SPAK. He was previously investigated for alleged illegal lobbying in the US, and he and his former wife were also investigated on allegations of hiding their personal wealth.
Gjokutaj said the arrest was politically motivated, and believes Rama and the head of SPAK Altin Dumani are involved in formulating the decision of his arrest.
The president of the Democratic Party Sali Berisha mirrors this sentiment and said Meta's arrest was orchestrated by Rama, who "seeks to hit his political opponents".
Corruption has marred Albanian politics since the fall of communism in the 1990s, hindering the country's democratic, economic and social development.