Albania’s former President, Ilir Meta, a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Edi Rama, was arrested on Monday in Tirana for alleged corruption and money laundering, the special prosecutor’s office confirmed.
Meta’s party denounced what it said was a “criminal kidnapping.”
Meta, 55, a centre-left politician who served as president from 2017 to 2022, was arrested while returning to Tirana after a visit to Kosovo.
The prosecutor stated that Meta and his ex-wife, Monika Kryemadhi, along with other public figures, are suspected of several criminal offenses, including “passive bribery of a senior official,” “money laundering,” and “false declaration of assets.”
The oldest allegations date back to his time as Minister of Economy (2010-2011), while others are more recent.
