The investigation into the former president of Albania, Ilir Meta, who was arrested on October 21 on charges of corruption, began after a report filed in 2018 by Romeo Kara, a lawyer at the Power Distribution Operator company. Initially, the Serious Crimes Prosecution took over the report, but it was later dissolved due to judicial reform. In 2019, the case was transferred to the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK).
The report alleged corrupt activities involving Meta during his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as Minister of Economy from 2009 to 2013. Meta served as the country’s president from July 2017 to July 2022.
Kara’s report not only implicated Meta but also accused Sali Berisha, who was prime minister at the time. Additionally, two more charges were brought against Meta. On June 10, 2022, former MP Halit Valteri filed a complaint with SPAK, alleging that while leading the Socialist Movement for Integration party, Meta signed lobbying contracts with U.S. companies, spending significant sums of money, some of which had not been declared.
In June 2022, SPAK consolidated both reports into a single case. Later, in September of the same year, another complaint was lodged against Meta and his wife, Monika Kryemadhi. Lawyer Idajet Beqiri claimed that the couple had spent large sums on medical and cosmetic surgery, raising suspicions of undeclared income and the origins of their financing.
The CEZ-DIA Affair
In March 2009, Albania entered into a contract with the Czech government to transfer 76% of the shares of the Energy Distribution Operator to the Czech company CEZ. At that time, the opposition, led by the Socialist Party, accused the government of acting in a clientelistic manner.
CEZ faced difficulties in collecting dues from both household subscribers and state institutions. Consequently, the company sought assistance from another firm to help collect its debts. In September 2010, CEZ contracted the DIA company, which had been registered in the Virgin Islands just two months prior, with a capital of $50,000. Its leaders were two Albanian citizens, one of whom was Kastriot Ismailaj.
Shortly after, the company established a branch in Albania, aiming to offer services related to financial investments, debt collection, and energy consulting. On September 1, CEZ signed an agreement with DIA for debt collection, despite SPAK noting that DIA lacked relevant experience.
The CEZ supervisory board opposed this agreement, which was initially not approved. Nonetheless, shortly after, DIA received payments totaling one million euros. A year later, an agreement that had previously been rejected was signed again, but by October 2011, the agreement was terminated.
During this period, numerous bank transactions took place, leading to DIA benefiting approximately 649 million lek (around 6.4 million euros) with the help of two Czech citizens on the CEZ supervisory board, resulting in significant losses for the state, which owned 24% of the shares.
A report concerning the CEZ-DIA affair led to Ismailaj’s arrest in 2015, and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2018. After serving his sentence, he was released last year. SPAK’s investigations revealed that Meta had prior connections with Ismailaj, and it was his influence as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then Minister of Economy that facilitated the signing of the agreement. This connection was corroborated by Jozef Hejsek, a former CEO of CEZ, in court proceedings in Vienna.
According to SPAK, Meta received substantial benefits from Ismailaj through this arrangement. After three years in Albania, CEZ lost its operating license, and the Czech company sought damages in arbitration, demanding 200,000 euros. Following the Socialist Party’s rise to power, the matter was resolved through negotiations, resulting in the Albanian state agreeing to pay the Czech side 87.1 million euros.
LSI Lobbying Contracts in the U.S.
On June 10, 2022, SPAK initiated another criminal proceeding against Meta, stemming from the report by former MP Halit Valteri. Valteri alleged that the Socialist Movement for Integration, Meta’s party at the time, had signed lobbying contracts with U.S. firms in February 2016, spending considerable sums without proper declaration.
The report raised suspicions of corruption and money laundering involving both Meta and Kryemadhi, specifically citing an unreported bill of $690,000 that was not disclosed to either the Central Election Commission or the Assets Declaration Inspectorate.
Investigations into the Wealth of the Meta Couple
In September 2022, Idajet Beqiri filed a criminal complaint with SPAK against Meta and Kryemadhi for “corruption, money laundering, non-declaration, and concealment of income.” Beqiri claimed that from 2014 to 2022, the couple spent substantial amounts on medical and cosmetic surgery to alter their appearances, raising further questions about their financial disclosures.
SPAK has also investigated alleged corrupt links between the Meta couple and Albanian-American businessman Adrian Shatku. Due to the couple’s influence, Shatku obtained permission to lay optical fiber for internet services and subsequently benefited from a contract for transferring international telephone calls. Investigations indicated that Meta and Kryemadhi profited from these agreements, receiving benefits related to donated credit cards and payments for their children’s education.
In June of this year, Meta was summoned to the Special Prosecutor’s Office. Afterward, he claimed he was questioned about property matters attributed to Kryemadhi. In March, he filed for divorce from her.
Since the beginning of this year, Meta has launched verbal attacks against SPAK head Altin Dumani and other prosecutors, drawing international condemnation. The European Union and the United States have labeled his statements as “unacceptable.”
Meta’s Political Career
Ilir Meta began his political career as Deputy Prime Minister of Albania in 1998, becoming Prime Minister the following year. In 2002, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs as a representative of the Socialist Party.
After leaving the Socialist Party, Meta founded the Socialist Movement for Integration in 2004 but collaborated with the Socialists in the 2007 local government elections. He opposed an electoral reform drafted by Sali Berisha and Edi Rama, the current prime minister, even resorting to a hunger strike to block its approval.
In the 2009 elections, Meta shifted his alliance to the right, partnering with Berisha. A video released by a former associate in 2010 revealed Meta discussing large sums of money, corruption, and influence in the judiciary, leading to significant protests by the Socialist Party, which turned violent and resulted in four deaths.
Despite the tension, Meta allied with Rama before the 2013 parliamentary elections, during which his party won 16 seats. The Socialist Party and the Socialist Movement for Integration ran together in the 2015 local elections.
However, relations soured in 2017 when Rama’s Socialist Party sought to assume complete control of the government. Following the elections, Meta was offered the presidency by the Socialist Party. After completing his term in 2022, he reclaimed the leadership of the Socialist Movement for Integration from his wife, Monika Kryemadhi, renaming it the Freedom Party. He accused some associates of undermining the party.
On October 21, Meta was arrested as he approached his party’s headquarters in Tirana, where he had planned to hold a press conference. His party and Kryemadhi characterized the arrest as a “bandit arrest,” while Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha stated that the use of force was necessary due to Meta’s refusal to comply with police orders and his disrespectful behavior toward officers.
SPAK accuses the former president of “corruption, money laundering, and concealment of wealth.” On October 23, Meta appeared in court, which upheld his indefinite imprisonment pending ongoing investigations. He contends that the charges are politically motivated and orchestrated by Prime Minister Edi Rama, a sentiment echoed by his wife, Monika Kryemadhi.
Credit: Radio Evropa e Lire, adapted by Tir-Fax.
