FILE - Albanian President Ilir Meta speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Tirana, Albania, on April 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina, File)

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors on Monday arrested former President Ilir Meta on suspicion that the left-wing Freedom Party leader engaged in alleged corruption, money laundering and hiding of personal income and property.

A lawyer for Meta, who was president from 2017-2022 and is now an outspoken critic of the current Prime Minister Edi Rama, denounced the case as a politically motivated attack on an opposition leader. Former EU ambassador to Albania Romana Vlahutin welcomed the arrest as a sign that nobody in Albania is above the law.

The Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime, which deals with senior political and state officials, said in a statement that Meta’s arrest followed a five-year investigation.

Meta’s former spouse, Monika Kryemadhi, a lawmaker and former leader of the Freedom Party, also was accused of the same crimes and ordered to report to police. Two other people were accused of money laundering and corruption.

The investigation continues, and prosecutors have not yet filed formal criminal charges. Meta could face up to 12 years in prison.

Meta, 55, was arrested by police in the capital, Tirana. Television stations showed masked, plainclothes police officers taking Meta from his vehicle after he returned from neighboring Kosovo ahead of holding a news conference.

Police said 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.

The party's secretary-general, Tedi Blushi, called it “a criminal kidnapping." After meeting Meta at the police department, his lawyer Genc Gjokutaj said the case against the former president was politically motivated.

“Today's act is nothing but a declaration of war, putting two opposition leaders under political arrest," Blushi said.

Prosecutors said 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 cash.

As leader of the political party before becoming president in 2017. Meta had failed to account for some $460,000 (423,000 Euro) he had used for lobbying in the United States, prosecutors said.

Both Meta and Kryemadhi also are accused of buying property with illegal money, or not declaring their personal health expenses.

Meta has accused the current government of running a “kleptocratic regime” and concentrating all legislative, administrative and judiciary powers in Rama's hands.

Albania, which seeks European Union membership, 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 under house arrest waiting for the trial.

Berisha denounced Meta's arrest as what he called the government's efforts to destroy the opposition, and called for a nationwide protest Oct. 29.

Soon after Meta's arrest, European Council official and former EU ambassador Vlahutin said on social platform X, “Justice reform in full force! There are no untouchables.”

News from © The Associated Press, 2024