Albania’s Special Prosecution Office has finalized corruption and money laundering charges against former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku amid student-led protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The office said the charges include violating rules requiring equal treatment in public tenders or auctions, passive corruption by public officials, and laundering proceeds from criminal activity.
Reuters reported that prosecutors had earlier accused Balluku of improperly influencing awards for two construction contracts in 2021. The contracts had a combined value of more than €200 million ($225 million). Those earlier allegations do not define the full scope of the charges now finalized.
Balluku, who also served as infrastructure minister, denied the initial allegations. Reuters said she has made no public comment on the case since and did not respond to its request for comment on Oct. 20. Rama dismissed her in February. An effort to lift her parliamentary immunity, which prevents her arrest, failed, Reuters reported.
Concerns about corruption in public institutions have helped drive protests in Tirana, according to Reuters. On Oct. 20, demonstrators gathered outside an education ministry building and called for Balluku to be jailed. Police used water cannon and tear gas to push them back, Reuters reported.
Students have also called for lower tuition and more education funding, as earlier EconoTimes coverage of the student protests reported. The demonstrations have brought those demands together with calls for Rama to resign.
Rama has rejected demands that he step down and condemned violence during the protests. He said the government would consider lowering the age of criminal liability and restricting social media access for children under 16, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors said they were working to notify others involved in the same case of the charges against them.
