Former Albanian leader Sali Berisha barred from entering UK
Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha says the United Kingdom has barred him from entering the country, citing his alleged involvement with organized crime and corruption
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Friday that the United Kingdom has barred him from entering the country, citing his involvement with organized crime and corruption.
The British Embassy in Tirana tweeted Thursday that “the U.K. has taken disruptive action against several Albanian individuals with ties to criminality and corruption." The embassy did not name the people targeted.
Berisha, the leader of Albania's main opposition Democratic Party, said Britain's home secretary notified him in a letter that he described as confidential. He said he decided to make his travel ban public himself.
Fighting corruption and organized crime has been post-communist Albania’s Achilles’ heel, which has strongly affected the country’s democratic, economic and social development.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also barred Berisha for entering the United States more than a year ago for alleged corrupt acts during his time as prime minister.
Berisha denied the allegations and alleged that Albania's current Socialist prime minister, Edi Rama, and American billionaire George Soros “sponsored” the decision.
Berisha was Albania’s first post-communist president from 1992 until 1997, when a pyramid scheme in which many Albanians lost their life savings took the country to the brink of anarchy.
His Democratic Party won the 2005 election and Berisha became prime minister for two terms that ended in 2013. Since then, he has served as a lawmaker in the Albanian Parliament.