Balla reacts from Parliament: Corruption exists in the EU too; Albania is Europe’s “black sheep” on pre-trial detention

Socialist Party parliamentary group leader Taulant Balla gave a statement to the media from the Parliament’s premises, addressing the functioning of the justice system, personal security measures, and major strategic investments in the country.

Asked by journalists about recent investigative developments and the actions of justice bodies, Balla stressed that the Socialist Party does not act as defense counsel for any official under investigation, describing the recent strikes as evidence of the new institutions at work.

“The events taking place should be seen as positive culminations of the justice reform. Corruption exists everywhere, even in Germany or Italy, but what matters is that today we have justice institutions that investigate and see cases through to the end. We do not comment on the contents of case files, and every official without immunity must challenge any restriction of their freedom in court,” Balla said.

During his remarks, he raised concerns about what he described as the packaged use of pre-trial detention before courts issue final verdicts, calling Albania’s current practice problematic by European standards.

“When it comes to restricting freedom before court decisions, Albania must put an end to this practice. If you ask AI platforms who Europe’s black sheep is when it comes to pre-trial detention, the answer will be Albania,” the Socialist parliamentary group leader declared.

Beyond justice matters, Balla reaffirmed the majority’s position on continuing the investment project in Zvërnec, worth over 4 billion euros to the Albanian economy. He guaranteed that the land-acquisition phase and the project’s development will respect all environmental standards in line with Chapter 27 of the EU accession negotiations, with the goal of closing the integration talks by the end of next year.