Klodian Tomorri
Confident that his power was inviolable in the face of an impotent opposition, but perhaps also encouraged by the major changes in American foreign policy after Donald Trump's victory, Edi Rama began to sing a dangerous song, before this year's elections. That he alone was the master of justice reform.
"They say America brought this about, but now that America has stepped out of line, for its own reasons, who is the guarantor of the new justice, Approach or Distance? Only the Socialist Party," the prime minister declared to his subordinates at the parliamentary group meeting.
Even in face-to-face dialogues with the people, the prime minister went even further, announcing that the Americans had abandoned SPAK.
"America had its own people who assisted SPAK. They would go, come in and out in the morning and afternoon there at the train station. They are no longer there. America has withdrawn them!" Rama declared in February of this year.
And since we're talking about Americans, they have an expression for such cases: This didn't age well.
The question "where are the Americans", which Edi Rama repeated with pleasure before the elections, received an almost annihilating answer last week, as the government's long hands to influence the choice of the SPAK leader were almost violently cut off. The Americans are not only in Edi Rama's office, but for Albanians they are always there.
But this is a game with many players. The untamed Doctor, who once made Altin Duman a soldier of Ymer Lala and another time a clan with the Troplins, has begun to moderate and SKAPI is no longer only SKAP, but also SPAK, while the election of Klodian Braho as head of the Special Prosecutor's Office was a completely constitutional process. Perhaps a short message from across the ocean has also arrived in the Doctor's mailbox with the content "Continuing attacks on SPAK is not a good idea."
However, beyond the political behind-the-scenes, the dominant debate in public opinion during these days remains why the United States preferred Klodian Braho to head SPAK and why the prosecutor from Skrapar was perceived as the one who was furthest from government influence?
Of course, faced with a candidate whose roots led to Balluku, another who was being lobbied by the government and powerful business groups, and another who didn't even know why he was in the race, the choice was natural.
Beyond this, Braho had publicly shown evidence that he did not blindly follow government directives, when he returned the message "the boss wants Arben Ahmetaj in prison," which was sent to him through an MP from Durres, a close friend of his. This is now an open secret in Tirana.
But not only that. The cold-blooded prosecutor had not spared even one of his colleagues, who is said to have had even more than that, in the famous Toyota Auris file.
Fortunately for the Albanians, the Americans were once again close to Albania, not letting SPAK fall into the hands of the government. This would not only be dangerous, but also fatal for their project and the fate of Albania. Now the big question is what happens next.
Altin Dumani has already won the medal of the man who destroyed the myth of impunity in Albania. This was clearly seen in the public thanks that the United States gave him at the end of his mandate. But that's all. There is no second mandate and no photos of meetings in the US. Because apparently even this was not enough and perhaps the bar should be raised higher.
The question is what can Klodian Braho do next? And the first clue, the newly elected leader of SPAK gave in the presentation of his platform, when he said that BKH should make the arrests themselves. This is a very important change to remove the government and the police, who have uncovered quite a few actions, from SPAK's path.
What is certain is that SPAK will continue to face criticism and public attacks. Albania will be at times a republic of prosecutors and at times a country where SPAK operates with double standards. But the biggest dilemma remains what SPAK was built for? To bring justice or to clear the field of a political class that had Albania by the throat.
The experience of Romania, Croatia and many other countries has the answer. Apparently the bar must go higher. And the most unhappy person in all this is none other than Edi Rama. If SPAK were to be added to the American siege, perhaps the fable that I am alone in Albania might no longer be enough.
Editorial
