Tirana - On Friday, Albania's parliament made a significant decision, accepting the request from the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) to authorize the arrest of Arben Ahmetaj, the former Deputy Prime Minister. The SPAK had sought the arrest, along with personal and house search warrants, concerning allegations of corruption and money laundering.

The authorization process spanned two days of deliberations, during which a special council on MPs' mandates granted parliament the power to vote on the matter. Of the 119 MPs present during the voting session, an overwhelming majority of 117 MPs voted in favor of granting the arrest request. This vote was crucial, as parliamentarians typically enjoy legal immunity from arrest.

Gazmend Bardhi, the head of the opposition Democratic Party's parliamentary group, urged the SPAK to conduct a thorough investigation into the "incinerator case," in which Ahmetaj is implicated. He also accused the Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama, of "hiding" Ahmetaj, whose current whereabouts remain unknown. However, Ahmetaj's lawyer stated that he is currently out of the country and not evading justice.
In a Facebook post just minutes before the parliamentary vote, Prime Minister Rama emphasized that Ahmetaj was "not on the run" due to legal issues but absent for "serious family reasons."

Ahmetaj's career began over two decades ago as a high-level official at the tax agency. Over time, he rose through the ranks and accumulated significant wealth. He served as a deputy minister in 2005 and later became an MP for the Socialist Party in 2009. Subsequently, he held positions as Minister of Economy in 2013 and later as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. His declared wealth amounts to around 3 million euros, based on calculations from his Asset Declaration Statements by BIRN.

The case against Ahmetaj revolves around allegations that companies or individuals linked to controversial waste management contracts signed by Prime Minister Rama's government between 2014 and 2017 paid Ahmetaj approximately 491,000 euros through intermediaries and fake real estate transactions. A seaside villa on Hamallaj, near the Adriatic coast, is also believed to be involved.

Although he has not been charged with abuse of power directly, prosecutors claim that Ahmetaj promptly granted approval for these contracts and allegedly pressured ministry employees to expedite the process.