Press statement by the Minister of Justice Etilda Gjonaj on the weekly results of the anti-graft fight:
The Anticorruption Task Force, the State Police and other security and law enforcement agencies, in collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office, have carried out a series of intensive inspection, evidencing and proceeding actions against the corrupt practices, yielding important results in the fight against corruption during this week.
The Anticorruption Task Force is conducting regular and serious auditing and inspection actions in the state offices tasked with delivering public services.
Given the complaints and denunciations filed by various citizens with the online co-governance platform Shqiperiaqeduam.al, the Anticorruption Task Force has carried out thorough inspections in several institutions including:
The State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate;
The regional directorate of the State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate in Durres.
In its final reports, the Anticorruption Task Force has recommended 24 disciplinary actions against employees of these institutions, with nine of them having their employment terminated.
The individuals dismissed from their job position are:
1 director,
1 inspector,
3 sector heads
4 employees at the Central State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate.
In cases where violations are found to be within the limits of the criminal offense, the Anticorruption Task Force has filed criminal charges against the responsible persons.
Two employees have been charged with abuse of office:
Former chief inspector at the Central State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate suspected of abuse of office by committing actions and inactions in breach of the law, violation of the public procurement procedures on “Archive Digitization” of the State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate; as well as the chief inspector of the regional directorate of the State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate in Durres, suspected of abuse of office by carrying out concrete actions that violate the Law No.10433, dated 16.06.2011 “on Inspection in the Republic of Albania”, as well as other bylaws.
At the same time, the security and law enforcement institutions have closely inspected, evidenced and handled the alleged corruption and abuse of office cases. The State Police structures have uncovered 21 corruption crimes and corruption charges have been filed against 27 suspects, of whom 4 were arrested or detained, while 23 others on probation.
The Internal Control Service of the Penitentiary System at the Ministry of Justice has filed criminal charges with the Prosecutor’s Office against two employees at the Vlora prison suspected of abuse of office and has recommended disciplinary actions against 20 other employees at the prisons in Vaqarr, Lezha, Fier and Saranda.
Likewise, an employee at Devoll prison, who was caught on camera taking bribe in exchange of a public service, has been dismissed from her position.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Anticorruption Task Force and the Prosecution Office of Judicial District of Fier, an assigned lawyer at the Immovable Property Registration Office in Fier has been taken into custody after passive corruption charges were filed against him in May.
Placing whole attention on the citizens is not simply a slogan, but a principle behind our governance.
Therefore, the entire anticorruption mechanism in place, in close collaboration with the law enforcement agencies, won’t cease for a single moment its activity as part of this decisive challenge for the rule of law and the country’s European integration process.
Concluding this weekly report on the results as part of our anti-graft fight, I would like to extend my appreciation to every citizen who has joined this fight via the online co-governance platform, as well as the media outlets that have contributed to the identification and holding accountable every public administration employee involved in corrupt practices and abuse of office.
