US Bars Former Albania PM Berisha Over ‘Corrupt Acts’

Former Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha. Photo: LSA

Berisha is the fourth Albanian to be added to the list of people unwelcome in the US after former General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla, former Socialist Party mayor Vangjush Dako and the current Social Democratic Party head, Tom Doshi.

"Today, I am announcing the public designation of Sali Berisha, a former President of Albania, former Prime Minister of Albania, and former Member of Parliament of Albania, due to his involvement in significant corruption," US Secretary of State Anthony J Blinken said in a statement.

"As Prime Minister of Albania in particular, Berisha was involved in corrupt acts, such as misappropriation of public funds and interfering with public processes, including using his power for his own benefit and to enrich his political allies and his family members at the expense of the Albanian public's confidence in their government institutions," the statement added.

"With this designation, I am reaffirming the need for accountability and transparency in Albania's democratic institutions, government processes, and the actions of Albanian public officials," it continued.

Berisha, now 76, was Albania's first democratically elected president from 1992 to 1997 but his rule was marked by human rights violations and election rigging.

He fell from power after fraudulent pyramid schemes that swallowed several hundred millions of dollars from a poor and unsuspecting population - which the government failed to warn people about and properly supervise - ended in turmoil and public disorder.

He returned to power as prime minister after his centre-right Democratic Party won the general elections in 2005 on an anti-corruption campaign, however, gaining back the trust...