October 23 (SeeNews) - Albania's anti-corruption body SPAK said that former prime minister Sali Berisha is prohibited from leaving the country as part of an investigation into allegations that he helped his son-in-law illegally obtain 673 million leks ($6.7 million/6.3 million euros) in a 2008 privatisation venture.
Evidence suggests that the ex-prime minister has made regulatory changes to push the privatisation of a sporting club which his son in law then turned into a residential complex, obtaining profits without actually investing in the project, SPAK said in a press release on Sunday. Construction industry entrepreneur Fatmir Bektashi, a partner in the project, is also facing allegations of bribing government officials.
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In a social media post on Sunday, Berisha criticised the decision, asserting that, as a member of the Albanian parliament, he should not be barred from leaving the country because he has parliamentary immunity.
Sali Berisha is one of the most prominent figures in Albanian politics. He served as the first non-communist president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and then as a prime minister from 2005 to 2013. He is the founder of the country’s main opposition force, which he led from 1997 until his resignation in 2013.
In May, the US State Department extended sanctions on the former prime minister, including a ban on entering the US, citing his involvement in corruption while in office.
(1 euro = 105.672 Albanian leks)