The Albanian government has proposed major changes to its criminal code that would significantly restrict the use of pre-trial detention. Critics argue the move is designed to protect senior officials currently under investigation by the country’s independent anti-corruption agency, SPAK.
Presenting the draft legislation, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that suspects would no longer be held in prison before trial for crimes carrying a maximum sentence of five years or less. No restrictive measures would apply for offences punishable by up to three years.
These lower-threshold offences are among the charges SPAK has raised against former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku and Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj. Both are close political allies of Rama.
Veliaj has been held in pre-trial detention since February 2025 on corruption-related charges, while Balluku faces similar accusations linked to major infrastructure contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros.
The government insists the reform protects citizens' rights and addresses long-standing criticism regarding Albania’s high rate of pre-trial detention, which accounts for roughly 55 to 58 percent of the total prison population.
Rama emphasized that the legislative package does not weaken the broader justice reform, nor does it strip SPAK or the special anti-corruption court of their powers to investigate high-level corruption cases.
However, the timing of the proposal has drawn intense scrutiny. Created under an internationally backed justice reform, SPAK has recently launched high-profile probes reaching deep into the ruling Socialist Party.
When prosecutors previously sought to arrest Balluku, the Socialist-controlled parliament refused to lift her immunity.
Rama has publicly praised SPAK as a success of the justice reform, but he has frequently criticized prosecutors and judges for what he terms an excessive and automatic reliance on pre-trial detention.
Albania remains under close watch by international monitors and Brussels as it navigates EU accession talks, where judicial independence and the fight against systemic corruption serve as
