Albania with its office in Eurojust, Chief Prosecutor Çela cuts the ribbon

Olsian Çela cutting the ribbon

 Albania officially has its Office of the Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust headquarters in The Hague. As can be seen in the photo above, Chief Prosecutor Olsian Çela and SPAK Chief Arben Kraja are there.

Next to them is the prosecutor Fatjona Memçaj, who will be the liaison prosecutor of Albania in Eurojust. This is the first time that Albania has a liaison prosecutor and its office in The Hague.

"The Office of the Liaison Prosecutor of Albania was officially opened today, marking the next step in our already strong and successful partnership. Cross-border judicial cooperation between Albania and Eurojust has increased by over 40% in the last five years", announces the EU agency for cooperation in criminal justice between countries.

The EU Ambassador in Tirana, Luigi Soreca, reacted to this on Twitter, saying that this is a step forward in the cooperation between the EU and Albania in the fight against cross-border crime.

"Congratulations to the Chief Prosecutor Olsian Çela and Arben Kraja for opening the office in Eurojust, of the Albanian Liaison Prosecutor Fatjon Memçaj, supported by EU funds. This marks another step forward in the cooperation between the EU and Albania in the fight against cross-border crime", Soreca writes.

The General Prosecutor of Albania, Olsian Çela, called the opening of the Albanian office an important step.

"Our strengthened cooperation through Eurojust marks an important step forward in the fight against all types of crime that transcend our borders. The path we have taken will enable us to consolidate our experiences and capacities as well as increase the cohesion of our organized institutional response to the serious threat that transnational organized crime is posing to our societies.”

Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran himself thanked the Albanian authorities for their cooperation.

"Being close neighbors, the European Union and Albania are natural partners. At Eurojust, we know from experience that having a Liaison Prosecutor with us acts as a strong driver to strengthen cross-border judicial cooperation. Therefore, I am grateful to the Albanian authorities for their cooperation in opening the Liaison Prosecutor's Office and I look forward to better fighting serious cross-border crime together."

Eurojust says that Arben Kraja, Chief Prosecutor in the Special Prosecution Office responsible for organized crime and corruption cases, also attended the ceremony. The opening of the Office coincided with the first evaluation meeting on the cooperation agreement with Albania, which entered into force in 2019. The appointment of Ms. Memcaj is a direct result of this agreement.

Cross-border judicial cooperation between Albania and Eurojust has increased by over 40% in the last five years. Between 2016 and 2020, a total of 84 cases with Albanian involvement were registered in Eurojust. So far this year, 20 cases have been registered, with a long-term investigation culminating in the arrest of 38 Albanian drug smugglers in cooperation with Italy in July, which is one of the most successful examples of this cooperation.

Currently, in addition to Albania, nine other countries have their liaison prosecutors at Eurojust: Georgia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Ms. Memçaj has extensive experience in cross-border judicial cooperation and prior to her appointment to Eurojust, she was a Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals at the dedicated office of the Tirana Court of Appeals, where she was responsible for matters seeking mutual legal assistance, especially requests for extradition.