Albanian police detained former President Ilir Meta on October 21 on corruption charges lodged by the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption (SPAK).
Meta, who served as president of from 2017 to 2022, was arrested in Tirana on suspicion of corruption, money laundering, and nondisclosure and concealment of property.
Meta's former spouse, Monika Kryemadhi, a lawmaker and former leader of the Freedom Party, was also accused of the same crimes and ordered to report to police. Prosecutors have not yet filed formal criminal charges against them or two other people also accused of money laundering and corruption.
Meta's lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the case against the former president was politically motivated. Meta spokesman Tedi Blushi told a press conference the arrest was an "irresponsible act" and that SPAK was trying to "eliminate the opposition" with its actions.
"Putting two opposition leaders under political arrest" is "nothing but a declaration of war," Blushi said.
Kryemadhi in a statement dismissed the accusations against her and her ex-husband as "political."
Meta, 55, has accused the current government of running a "kleptocratic regime" and concentrating all legislative, administrative, and judiciary powers in Prime Minister Edi Rama's hands.
Meta, a veteran of Albanian politics who has held high positions since the fall of communism in 1991, was detained by masked, plainclothes police officers who took him from his vehicle after he returned from Kosovo ahead of a news conference.
Police said that the "use of force" was applied after Meta refused to follow an order to leave his car and used offensive words against officers and justice officials.
Albanian State Police said the arrest was done at the request of SPAK and was carried out according to regulations. The SPAK said in a statement that Meta’s arrest followed a five-year investigation.
Meta failed to account for some $460,000 he used for lobbying in the United States, prosecutors said. Both Meta and Kryemadhi also are accused of buying property with money they received illegally.
Albanian institutions created with the support of the European Union and the United States have launched several investigations into former senior government officials allegedly involved in corruption.
Former EU Ambassador to Albania Romana Vlahutin welcomed the arrest as a sign that nobody in Albania is above the law.
