Overview
- The Special Prosecution Office has indicted Belinda Balluku and alleges she and others steered state tenders to favored firms on major projects, including the Greater Ring Road and the Llogara Tunnel.
- Prosecutors have asked parliament to lift her immunity to allow arrest, and the Socialist majority has signaled it will await a Constitutional Court ruling expected in January before a vote.
- Opposition supporters mobilized by Sali Berisha rallied in Tirana and hurled Molotov cocktails at Edi Rama’s office, as police in riot gear shielded the building without charging the crowd.
- Authorities arrested four protesters, opened investigations into seven others, and reported two injured officers, while one demonstrator accidentally set himself on fire, according to local media.
- Balluku rejects the allegations and pledges full cooperation with the judiciary, and Rama has defended her while criticizing SPAK’s use of pre-trial arrests as falling short of European standards.