Fjori SinorukaTiranaBIRNDecember 9, 202511:58Judges Association claims that Edi Rama’s attacks on court decision to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku over legal allegations are designed to undermine faith in the Albanian judiciary.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku in parliament in November 2022. Photo: LSA.
Albania’s Judges Association on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of putting pressure on the Constitutional Court, after the government asked it to annul the suspension of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku.
Balluku has been suspended by the Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime over charges of interfering with public procurement procedures. She has called the accusations against her baseless.
Right after the court suspended her, Rama took the case to the Constitutional Court, asking it to return her to duty. The court is expected to rule on December 12.
In a series of public statements, Rama has meanwhile called the decision to suspend Balluku “a unique and dangerous precedent” and that “the suspension is absurd as a concept”.
The Judges Association said it had been following Rama’s statements about the case with concern. “The Association expresses its concern and indignation regarding the approach that the head of the executive has chosen to take regarding this issue, which is part of the jurisdiction of the judiciary,” it said.
“Under the guise of a complaint about the usurpation of the executive and legislative powers by the judiciary, in fact, there is a hidden message of on the justicial bodies that have to examine the case in question. Such daily messages fed to the general public also aim to create a climate of distrust of the judiciary and can be further used as a pretext for taking erosive measures towards the latter,” it added.
Rama reacted to the declaration, saying he had a right to voice his views. “The Association is wrong if it expects that I will stay silent and will not share my opinion with the public,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that he is putting pressure on the judiciary.
The Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime has accused Balluku of interfering with public procurements in two separate road construction cases. She has been a Minister of Infrastructure and Energy since 2019 and Deputy Prime Minister since 2022 and is the highest-ranking public politician ever accused by the SPAK.
On October 31, SPAK accused Balluku of violating public procurement procedures for the construction of a road tunnel in the south of Albania, worth about 190 million euros. On November 21, SPAK added another charge, for violation of public procurement rules over another road construction in Tirana.
Ballaku last month described the allegations as “insinuations”, “half-truths” and “lies”.
This is not the first time that Rama has been accused of putting pressure on the judicial system. In recent months, he has been singling out judges and prosecutors for personal criticism, using language that has also drawn criticism.
Source link: balkaninsight.com
