Tirana, Albania (AP) —The Albanian president provided public support to the former Prime Minister, who was sanctioned by the United States for corruption on Saturday.
President Ilir Meta issued a letter to former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, stating that politician sanctions were “shameful, dishonest and annoying acts” caused by anti-Albanian lobbying.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Berisha and his close relatives were banned from entering the United States. Blinken called Blinken, the Prime Minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013, “involved in corruption, including using his powers for his own benefit and enriching his political parties and his family. I did. “
Blinken also claimed that during his tenure, Blinken interfered with the judiciary “at the expense of independent investigations, anti-corruption efforts, and accountability measures.”
Berisha, 76, is currently a member of the Albanian Parliament on behalf of the opposition Democratic Party. He was also the second post-communist president of Albania from 1992 to 1997.
In defending his predecessor, Meta claimed that Blinken’s decision was “ordered by the thief administration” in Albania when the outcome of the April 25 parliamentary elections was being contested.
Meta has been in conflict with the Governing Socialist Party, which has acted to impeach him for not remaining independent during the election.