Former Albanian President Ilir Meta was arrested in the capital Tirana on Tuesday on suspicion of money laundering and corruption, as well as concealing personal income following a visit to Kosovo.
According to local media reports, state police wearing black masks suddenly stopped the car and arrested Mehta. Police claimed they had no choice but to use force, Reuters reported.
Albania's Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Unit said in a statement that Meta's arrest came after a five-year investigation, according to the Associated Press.
“I am confident of the victory of the cause of our nation and democracy! The enemies of our nation and democracy will have their smiles erased from their faces. 's abduction reveals the panic that dictatorships face when faced with a crisis.''It's true,'' Mehta said in a statement about X shortly after his arrest.
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Ilir Meta, former president of Albania and current leader of the opposition Liberal Party, is escorted to a police vehicle at the Tirana Police Headquarters in Tirana on October 21, 2024. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)
The Balkans is a volatile region of Europe with a long history of ethnic divisions and political instability. There are fears that the popular former leader's arrest could heighten tensions ahead of the 2025 elections.
Albania's opposition parties have accused Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama of politicizing the judiciary and law enforcement to target political opponents.
Some longtime observers of the area also expressed concern about some of the recent developments.
“The arrest of Albania's former president shows that the reign of Albania's current Prime Minister Edi Rama is becoming increasingly authoritarian. I do not intend to undermine the court's ruling, but the timing of the charges and arrest “And this could indicate that President Rama is weaponizing law enforcement to go after his political opponents,” a senior diplomatic source with expertise in the region told Fox News Digital. spoke.
Agim Nesho, Albania's former ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations, told Fox News Digital that authorities' arrest of Meta made that intent clear.
“This was an act of political showmanship, in which dozens of armed personnel arrested the former president by force on a crowded street in broad daylight as people filmed him with their cellphones,” Nesho said. said.
Nesho also said the scope of the charges against opposition leaders pales in comparison to what he called the organized theft orchestrated by the current government.
“The current prime minister is the most corrupt leader in Albania's modern history. International media regularly reports that he directly threatens foreign journalists investigating his affairs, and that members of Congress have made billions of dollars in He is reportedly leading a political party and government that has been accused of corruption.
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Meta served as president from 2017 to 2022, was an ally of current Prime Minister Rama and the ruling Socialist Party, and currently leads the opposition party, the centrist Liberal Party. Meta and Rama, once allies, are now bitter political rivals. Mr. Mehta is a frequent critic of Mr. Rama, arguing that the current government is becoming increasingly corrupt and authoritarian.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (right) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić shake hands during a press conference during the Western Balkans Regional Conference in Ohrid on November 10, 2019. (Photo by ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Freedom House, corruption is widespread in Albania, particularly in the judiciary, with courts often under political pressure and influence, and due process enforcement inconsistently.
Diplomatic sources in the Balkans say the weaponization of judiciary and law enforcement is part of a broader pattern in the region. Authoritarian Balkan leaders, particularly Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Rama, have sweet-talked the West with talk of “commitment to the future of Europe” and “regional economic integration.” while acting like an authoritarian at home, often acting directly in and against the United States. The diplomat said there were European Union interests in the region.
Rama is co-leader of the Open Balkans initiative, a proposal to encourage a freer flow of people and goods across the Balkans. Many people in Albania and across the Balkans oppose the initiative, saying it is a Serbian ploy to replace Europe's regional common market and threatens the Balkan countries' aspirations to join the EU. There is.
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Fox News Digital interviewed Mehta in May 2024, in which he warned of the dangers of the “open Balkans” initiative, calling it “an option that goes against European integration.” He feared it would strengthen hybrid regimes like Serbia's, undermine free and fair elections, eliminate political pluralism, and target the media and freedom of speech.
Anti-government protest photographed on February 20, 2024 in Tirana, Albania. (AP Photo/Armando Babani)
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Mehta is not the only politician to be detained recently. Sali Berisha, another former president and prime minister and Rama's political rival, was also charged with corruption and placed under house arrest.
“The Albanian police (criminals in uniform), following the orders of Edi Rama, abducted former President, former Prime Minister and former Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta in public and beat him in the head. We strongly condemn this outrageous act!'' Berisha said in a statement regarding X.
The State Department referred Fox News Digital to Albanian authorities for details about the incident. But a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “the United States supports Albania's progress in the rule of law, including SPAK's efforts to prosecute high-level corruption and organized crime in accordance with the law.”
A spokesperson for the Albanian prime minister and the Albanian embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
