Gazmend Bardhi, head of the parliamentary group of Albania’s Democratic Party (PD), accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of defending a minister facing judicial scrutiny, after the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Court (GJKKO) suspended Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku.
Speaking to reporters, Bardhi said Rama acted as “a lawyer for a defendant” rather than as the head of a European country. He claimed the prime minister refused to dismiss Balluku because she allegedly had leverage over him concerning shared corruption cases.
“Instead of protecting the interests of the Albanian people, the prime minister is formally defending a public official accused of millions in public procurement abuses,” Bardhi said, referring to the contract for the Llogara tunnel, which he said was pre-arranged by Rama and Balluku.
Bardhi warned that the opposition would hold a protest on Monday at 16:00 in front of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Rama has said the government will challenge Balluku’s suspension at the Constitutional Court, arguing that the executive branch must retain its independence and that there is currently no functioning deputy prime minister or infrastructure minister.
Balluku’s suspension follows a GJKKO ruling as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in public tenders. The prime minister has described the court’s decision as “an unprecedented and brutal intervention in the executive.”