Albanian ex-President Ilir Meta charged with corruption and money laundering

TIRANA, Albania — 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.