Sali Berisha

An explosion at an ammunition dismantling site in Gërdec killed 26 people and injured more than 300. Officials were convicted, and former Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu faced prolonged proceedings. The European Court of Human Rights subsequently found failures by the state in its investigation and prosecutions.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Four protesters were shot dead during an anti-government demonstration outside Berisha's offices. In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights found violations of the right to life and the obligation to investigate, noting in particular that the chain of command had not been sufficiently examined. Albania's Supreme Court subsequently ordered the investigation to resume.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

The US Department of State publicly designated Sali Berisha under Section 7031(c), alleging his involvement in significant corruption, including misappropriation of public funds, interference in public processes and use of power to benefit allies and family members.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

Direct designation against Berisha

Several anti-government demonstrations led politically by Berisha descended into violence. In 2024 and subsequently February 2026, protesters threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks and projectiles at buildings or police, while law enforcement officers used tear gas and water cannon.

State of the evidence

Established

Members of the Haklaj family filed complaints with SPAK accusing Berisha of ordering or organising several murders and acts of violence in Tropojë in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Direct allegation against Berisha; not established

Following the Socialist Party's clear victory in the 2025 parliamentary elections, Berisha refused to accept the result and described the vote as fraudulent or an electoral farce.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Damir Fazlić, a Bosnian-Serb businessman, friend and former election adviser to Berisha and client of his daughter, was investigated in Albania on suspicion of money laundering. The US State Department reported attempts by the Justice and Interior Ministries to intimidate or obstruct prosecutors; these matters were subsequently examined in the British proceedings that led to Berisha's exclusion.

State of the evidence

Allegations

The United Kingdom excluded Berisha from its territory in 2022, considering his presence not conducive to the public good because of alleged links to criminal groups and abuses of power for corrupt purposes. Berisha appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

SPAK accused Berisha of using his authority as Prime Minister to facilitate privatisation of the Partizani sports complex and alter rules or administrative decisions for the benefit, in particular, of his son-in-law Jamarbër Malltezi. According to prosecutors, Malltezi allegedly made approximately €5.4 million from subsequent property transactions.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Direct criminal allegation against Berisha

Following the US designation, Lulzim Basha excluded Berisha from the parliamentary group. Berisha then launched a campaign to regain control of the Democratic Party. On 8 January 2022, his supporters attempted to force their way into party headquarters using hammers and iron bars; police used tear gas and water cannon.

State of the evidence

Established

The June 2009 elections gave Berisha's camp a narrow majority with support from the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI). The Socialist Party rejected the results, demanded the opening of certain ballot boxes and boycotted Parliament, triggering a prolonged political crisis that affected Albania's European integration prospects.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

In late 2008, Berisha's government secured passage of a new lustration law enabling people linked to the communist regime to be removed from senior positions. The opposition, judges and the European Union condemned what they regarded as an attempt to neutralise rivals and judges investigating sensitive cases.

State of the evidence

Established

The country's largest road project attracted strong criticism concerning costs, procurement and the absence of a complete project design when certain commitments were undertaken. The Prosecutor General pursued Minister Lulzim Basha over irregularities; his immunity was lifted before the case was eventually dismissed on procedural grounds.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Cabinet-level and collective government responsibility; no Berisha conviction

Person targeted by the proceedings

Lulzim Basha

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Following the 2001 parliamentary elections, Berisha alleged widespread fraud, and his Union for Victory coalition rejected the result, boycotting the new assembly for approximately six months.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Following the 1998 crisis, Berisha's Democratic Party boycotted Parliament for several months and refused to participate in some national institutions, citing in particular the absence of a satisfactory investigation into Azem Hajdari's murder.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Following the assassination of Democratic MP Azem Hajdari, armed Democratic Party supporters occupied Parliament, radio and television facilities and other public buildings. The government accused Berisha of orchestrating an attempted coup, and his immunity was lifted.

State of the evidence

Documented

Fatos Nano, Berisha's principal Socialist opponent, was arrested in 1993 and sentenced in 1994 to twelve years' imprisonment for embezzlement and falsification. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other observers considered that numerous procedural irregularities suggested political motivation and executive interference.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Alleged high-level political responsibility; no personal criminal conviction of Berisha

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

Pyramid schemes that had reached an extraordinary scale collapsed, ruining a large proportion of the population and triggering an armed uprising, the looting of weapons arsenals and near-civil war. Berisha's government was accused of tolerating the schemes for too long despite warnings.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

At the height of the pyramid scheme crisis, Berisha declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew and prior censorship. For approximately six weeks, independent newspapers virtually ceased publication while the Democratic Party newspaper continued to circulate; journalists were assaulted, arrested or prevented from working.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

While the country was in crisis, the Democratic Party-dominated Parliament re-elected Berisha President on 3 March 1997, the day after the state of emergency was declared. Following early elections won by the Socialists in June, he eventually resigned.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

In 1995, the Democratic Party-dominated Parliament adopted decommunisation and vetting laws allowing numerous former regime officials and alleged secret police collaborators to be excluded from public office. A commission controlled by the authorities barred 139 individuals from standing in 1996, including many opposition candidates.

State of the evidence

Established

The May 1996 parliamentary elections were severely criticised for ballot stuffing, manipulation of electoral registers, violence, intimidation and the use of security forces to benefit the Democratic Party. The opposition withdrew from the vote count and refused to recognise Parliament.

State of the evidence

Documented

Berisha submitted a draft constitution to a referendum after failing to obtain the required majority in Parliament. The draft, regarded by opponents as excessively strengthening presidential power, was rejected by voters.

State of the evidence

Established

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Before becoming one of the founders of the Democratic Party, Berisha was a member of the Albanian Party of Labour during the communist period and briefly served as Party secretary at the medical faculty. His past has repeatedly been used by opponents to challenge his image of having broken entirely with the former regime.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable