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Rama to Estonian media: We did the right thing when we defended Balluk against SPAK
2026-05-20 13:18:53 / POLITIKË
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended his government and former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku in an interview with the Estonian daily Postimees, downplaying the corruption allegations and describing them as a misinterpretation of administrative procedures.
Asked about the "Balluku" case, which has been put under investigation for violations of equality in public procurement procedures, Rama denied any connection to corruption.
"This is not a corruption case. The prosecution is not accusing him of corruption. So, there is no accusation of corruption," Rama declared, insisting that according to him this is "far from corruption."
The Prime Minister also defended the majority's decision not to support the lifting of Balluk's parliamentary immunity, arguing that the Albanian system does not prevent the investigation of public officials.
How do you assess Albania's success in the fight against corruption, given that recent scandals have closely affected your government? I am referring to the case of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku (last December, Balluku was accused of violating the principle of equal treatment of participants in public procurement procedures or auctions related to a tunnel project in the south of the country – ed.). And why did your party decide to vote against lifting her parliamentary immunity?
Rama: Both [claims] are incorrect, but that's how it works with public information these days. Because, first of all, this is not a corruption case. The prosecution is not accusing him of corruption. So, there is no corruption charge. This is mismanagement of public procurement, which is far from corruption according to the Criminal Code.
Secondly, we do not have immunity from investigation in Albania. So, anyone can be investigated. I myself can be investigated by a prosecutor without even knowing that I am under investigation. The only thing the parliament does is say “no” or “yes” to the restriction of freedom. So, we did not think, and I still do not think, that we should have done this. I am increasingly convinced that we did the right thing when we said to continue the investigation, but you cannot restrict someone’s freedom simply based on some suspicions about something that is not corruption.
And on the other hand, as for the general fact, I have to tell you two very simple things, because corruption lies in the relationship between citizens and the state and in the way the state handles public money. I don't know any other way how corruption works.
So, when it comes to services for citizens, we have had one of the most efficient digital service systems for years, and 95 percent of our services are online, so there is no corruption in that.
And on the other hand, when it comes to public procurement, our reforms and changes are such that international institutions working for the European Commission and the OECD assess that our public procurement is fairer than in the 16 EU countries.
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