Tirana Court Rejects Arben Meskuti's Request to Lift "Arrest in Prison" Measure for the Second Time in Two Weeks

Arben Meskuti 

The Special Court has once again rejected Arben Meskuti’s request to revoke the “arrest in prison” security measure, marking the second such denial in a two-week period.

Meskuti remains in pretrial detention under suspicion of orchestrating a large-scale microcredit fraud scheme, deceiving thousands of indebted citizens. He is the owner of several financial companies that allegedly operated as pyramid schemes, local media say.

Origins of the Criminal Proceedings

The criminal investigation into the microcredit fraud began in February 2020, following a complaint filed by the Ministry of Justice with the Tirana Prosecutor's Office. The investigation revealed that five financial companies—Micro Credit Albania, ADCA, SHP Zig, FS, and FLASH—had acquired 3,999 bad loans from a second-tier bank, accumulating a total debt of approximately €7.3 million.

Transfer of the Case to SPAK

In December 2024, the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office declared lack of jurisdiction over the microcredit case and transferred it to the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (SPAK), which now leads the investigation.