For the past 35 years, corruption in Albania has remained at alarming levels, deeply embedded in almost every institution. The recent revocation of former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Bashkim Dedja’s lawyer’s license by the Albanian National Chamber of Advocacy is yet another confirmation of this long-standing crisis. The decision came shortly after Dedja was convicted by the Special Anti-Corruption Court of Appeal for concealing assets, Euronews Albania reports.
Dedja was sentenced to six months in prison by the Special Court of First Instance, a sentence that was later converted into one year of probation. The prosecution had initially sought a one-year prison term, but the court ruled for six months, a decision upheld on February 13th of this year by the Appeals Court.
The Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) accused Dedja of failing to declare ownership of a 60-square-meter apartment located in Kryemedhenj, Administrative Unit Golem, Kavaja. In his defense, Dedja claimed the apartment belonged to his brother and that he had merely used it, an argument that failed to convince the prosecution.
Furthermore, SPAK charged Dedja with making false statements regarding a 146-square-meter apartment in Tirana, specifically concerning a 10,000-euro loan allegedly received from his brother-in-law. Investigations revealed that the so-called lender lacked the financial capacity to provide such a loan, casting further doubt on the legitimacy of Dedja’s financial declarations.
Despite initially passing the first stage of the judicial vetting process, Dedja was ultimately dismissed by the second stage, the Special Appeals Chamber. His downfall serves as yet another glaring example of how deeply corruption has infiltrated the highest levels of Albania’s judiciary and governance structures.
The Dedja case is not an isolated incident but rather a symptom of a far broader, more systemic issue that has plagued Albania for decades. Institutionalized corruption has eroded public trust and hindered the country’s democratic and economic development. While anti-corruption institutions such as SPAK have made progress in exposing corrupt officials, the road to true justice and accountability remains long and arduous.
Albania’s struggle against corruption is far from over, and without meaningful reform, transparency, and stronger legal enforcement, cases like Dedja’s will continue to surface—reinforcing the notion that corruption is not just present in the system, but deeply rooted in its very foundation.