Albanian ex-President Ilir Meta charged with corruption and money laundering
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Former Albanian President Ilir Meta was formally charged on Tuesday with corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and hiding property from authorities, his lawyer said.
The charges were communicated to Meta in a 192-page report from anti-corruption prosecutors, lawyer Kujtim Cakrani told journalists. The prosecutors belong to the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime, or SPAK, which handles cases involving senior political and state officials.
Meta, the 56-year-old founder of the leftist Freedom Party, was arrested in October.
Meta wrote on his Facebook page that 'I can hardly wait for the start of the trial which will be public and will show to the world' that SPAK is a puppet of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Meta also said that he considers the agency to be Rama's 'anti-opposition task force.'
Rama's governing Socialist Party achieved a landslide win in the May 11 parliamentary election, getting 83 seats in the 140-seat parliament.
Meta, who was president from 2017-2022, has been an outspoken critic of Rama and has denounced his case as a politically motivated attack on an opposition leader.
Meta faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
Meta's former spouse, Monika Kryemadhi, a lawmaker and former leader of the Freedom Party, also is accused of the same crimes. Two other people connected to the case have been accused of money laundering and corruption.
Meta has held virtually all senior posts in post-communist Albania, starting as a lawmaker. He eventually became foreign minister, minister of economy, trade and energy, deputy prime minister, prime minister, parliamentary speaker and president.
Prosecutors have said that when he was minister of economy, trade and energy, Meta had abused his authority to influence various businesses in which he and Kryemadhi had earned considerable amounts of money.
Meta also has failed to account for around $460,000 (404,000 euros) he had used for lobbying in the United States.
Both Meta and Kryemadhi also are accused of buying property with illegally obtained money, or not declaring their personal health expenses.
Albania, which has started full membership negotiations with the European Union, has been plagued in its post-communist era with corruption that has marred its democratic, economic and social development.
Judicial institutions created with the support of the EU and the United States have launched several investigations into former senior government officials allegedly involved in corruption.
Sali Berisha, a former prime minister and president and now a lawmaker and leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, is also accused of corruption and is waiting for his trial to begin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
17 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's Cautious Clippers
A newsy analysis of the workings of D.C. (and beyond), providing the inside track on both the overhyped and overlooked events of the week. Subscribe here, and read this week's edition below:
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: Trump Relays Putin's Plans to Retaliate Against Ukraine
President Trump and Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday after Mr. Musk announced his departure from his role as a special government employee. Elon Musk lashed out on Tuesday against the far-reaching Republican bill intended to enact President Trump's domestic policy agenda, posting on X that it was a 'disgusting abomination' and telling House members who voted for it: 'You know you did wrong.' The tech billionaire criticized the bill, one of Mr. Trump's top priorities, in a series of about 10 posts. In them, Mr. Musk reshared commentary from lawmakers like Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, two Republicans who had sided with him in opposing the rising U.S. deficit. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Mr. Musk wrote on X. He called the domestic policy bill 'massive, outrageous, pork-filled,' adding that it would 'massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit' and that 'Congress is making America bankrupt.' He did not target any specific members of Congress, but hinted that he might support efforts to unseat those who backed the bill in the 2026 midterm elections. 'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' he wrote. The blitz of messages signaled a widening rift between Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump as the tech mogul winds down his governmental role leading the Department of Government Efficiency. While the men have publicly professed continued admiration for each other, Mr. Musk's departure from Washington has appeared to liberate him from presenting a united front with the White House. Instead, he has returned to wielding his brand of unpredictable political influence through X, the social media platform he owns. In December, before Mr. Trump's inauguration, Mr. Musk torpedoed a bipartisan spending bill with an onslaught of posts on X, including a threat to find primary challengers for Republicans who supported it. In March, he tried unsuccessfully to sway the outcome of a Wisconsin judicial race with myriad posts in favor of the conservative candidate. Now unshackled from loyalty to the Trump party line, Mr. Musk can again foment chaos with his X feed. Mr. Musk, 53, has often criticized legislation, agencies and others that are against the interests of himself and his companies, which include the electric carmaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX. In its current form, Mr. Trump's domestic policy bill would end subsidies and tax credits meant to spur consumers to buy electric vehicles, which would have ramifications for Tesla. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, called Mr. Musk's criticism of the domestic policy bill 'very disappointing.' He told reporters at the Capitol that the two spoke on Monday and that Mr. Musk 'seemed to understand' the virtues of the legislation. The White House and the president were caught off guard by Mr. Musk's posts, a person with knowledge of the situation said, but it's not yet clear whether Mr. Trump will return fire. 'The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,' said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. 'It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it.' A representative for Mr. Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Trump has urged swift passage of the legislation — officially called the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act — which would slash taxes, providing the biggest savings to the wealthy, and steer more money to the military and immigration enforcement. As written, the legislation would cut health, nutrition, education and clean energy programs to cover part of the cost. White House officials and Mr. Johnson have claimed that the bill would shrink the national debt, although the Congressional Budget Office and a number of independent analysts have estimated that the bill would increase federal deficits by well over $1 trillion, even when economic growth is factored in. Mr. Musk posted his criticism at a critical moment for the bill, which passed the House on May 22 in the face of a strong pressure campaign by Mr. Trump. As Mr. Johnson corralled several competing Republican factions, the president summoned recalcitrant holdouts to the White House, and his staff likened Republican opposition to the bill to 'the ultimate betrayal.' But Republican senators have already made clear that they plan to make changes to the bill. Fiscal conservatives, alarmed at the estimates that it would swell the national debt, have demanded further changes and cuts to Medicaid and other programs that could help rein in deficits. Mr. Trump has warned Republicans not to mess with Medicaid, a program that many of his supporters rely on. Mr. Musk started publicly criticizing Mr. Trump's bill last week, saying on CBS News's 'Sunday Morning' that he was disappointed in the legislation's size and impact on the deficit. People close to the congressional negotiations said Mr. Musk was disappointed that Republicans were removing electric vehicle subsidies, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. 'I know that has an effect on his business, and I lament that,' Mr. Johnson said. But he added that he did not believe the government should be subsidizing a transition to electric cars. In an earlier public break with the administration, Mr. Musk slammed the president's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, as a 'moron' and 'dumber than a sack of bricks' in a series of X posts in April. Tesla executives said Mr. Musk, who abstained from criticizing Mr. Trump directly, seemed not to immediately realize the impact that the administration's tariffs could have on the automaker. The White House downplayed the conflict at the time. Asked about it then, Ms. Leavitt said, 'Boys will be boys.' Late that month, Mr. Musk was briefed on the tariffs' effects and the company's supply chain vulnerabilities. Mr. Musk's threats about unseating Republicans contrast with his political spending last year. His super PAC, America PAC, spent about $20 million in the last election cycle to boost Republicans running for the House. And a different PAC he backed spent $10 million to help Republicans in the Senate. Some Democrats celebrated Mr. Musk's criticism. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, brought a printed-out copy of Mr. Musk's X posts to the party's weekly news conference on Tuesday. 'He's right,' Mr. Schumer said. 'Republicans should listen to him.' Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Musk — who appeared onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February with a chain saw and said it would be 'easy' to save the government billions of dollars — shared a meme on X that included a photo of fingertips pinching a minuscule pair of scissors. 'Republicans getting ready to reduce the size of government,' the caption read. Shawn McCreesh , Theodore Schleifer and Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
BREAKING: Trump, Putin spoke for over an hour as Russia plans to respond to Ukraine's attack
All times eastern Making Money with Charles Payne FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Tomi Lahren mocks 'desperate' Democrats turning to Eric Swalwell for leadership
