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MEDIA RELEASE |
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Communications |
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Réf. DC 170(2020) Albania must implement the legal framework to prevent corruption of ministers, their advisers and the police Strasbourg, 03.12.2020 - In a report released today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) finds that in Albania, the legal framework for preventing corruption of members of the Council of Ministers and their political advisers, and of the police, is comprehensive, but still overly complex. It calls on Albania to focus on its effective implementation, in particular by improving the capacity of the bodies responsible for preventing corruption, and through a proactive approach to investigations. (see the Albanian version of the report) GRECO recommends in particular that a handbook compiling the applicable standards and regulations is made available to persons holding senior executive positions. It insists that each ministry quickly adopts an integrity plan and that ministers, deputy ministers and advisers should be regularly made aware of measures to ensure their integrity. GRECO expresses doubts as to the effective application of the 2013 Ministerial Code of Ethics and the actual functioning of the ethics committee attached to it. It wishes clear post-employment rules to be drawn up and enforced. The general framework obliging those concerned to declare their assets has been set up. However, GRECO notes that there is no example of a minister or one of his/her advisers having been obliged to withdraw from a file due to a conflict of interest. This casts doubts on the efficacy of the system in practice. It calls for the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Verification of Assets and Conflicts of Interest (HIDAACI) to be endowed with adequate resources to optimise its missions, and for the e-platform aimed at filing and publishing declarations of private interests to be made operational as soon as possible. The follow-up given to cases transmitted by HIDAACI to the prosecution service should be improved, which presupposes the effective functioning of the new Office of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor (SPAC). Regarding the national police, GRECO fears that the transitional vetting process will lead to the departure of many qualified staff and then weaken the institution. It calls for replacing it with regular integrity-checks over the course of the careers of police staff, which is deemed to be fairer and more effective. GRECO is concerned about the possibility for the police to receive private donations: if such a practice were to be allowed, it should be strictly regulated to limit the risks of corruption and conflicts of interest. The possibility for the police to provide additional remunerated services should also be strictly regulated. Measures are recommended to ensure more stability in senior positions in the police, regardless of the political context. GRECO also recommends that middle management officers are appointed by the Director General of the Police rather than the Minister of the Interior, and that the ethical rules are complemented with practical guidance, as well as awareness, training and counselling measures (including for the protection of whistleblowers). Albania should submit to GRECO by 30 April 2022 a report on the measures taken to implement these recommendations. * * * The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is a Council of Europe body that aims to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards. It helps states to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. Currently it comprises the 47 Council of Europe member states, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the United States of America. |
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Press Contact |
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Dušan Vojnović, Media officer, Tel. +33 6 61 03 83 00 |
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Council of Europe, Media Assistance Unit / Conseil de l'Europe, Unité d’assistance aux médias |
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