Albania's Draft Criminal Procedure Changes Alarm Judges and Anti-Corruption Advocates
Albania's government has introduced a 106-article bill that would revise about one-fifth of the criminal procedure code. The proposal would end pretrial detention for offenses with maximum sentences of five years, add investigative requirements, and tighten secrecy rules. Judges, prosecutors, and civil society groups fear the changes would weaken SPAK, the special anti-corruption prosecution body.
Albania’s proposed overhaul spans 106 articles and would alter roughly one-fifth of the criminal procedure code. It would bar pretrial detention for charges whose maximum penalty is five years, impose new investigative duties on prosecutors, and restrict disclosure of investigative information, including the fact that someone is under investigation.
The bill arrives amid concern from judges, prosecutors, and civil society that it could weaken SPAK, the anti-corruption prosecution body created by Albania’s 2016 justice reforms. SPAK has pursued senior figures from both the governing Socialists and the opposition Democrats.
If enacted, the changes could affect people under investigation, prosecutors, judges, and anti-corruption watchdogs. Suspects facing shorter possible sentences may avoid pretrial detention, while tighter secrecy and limits on disclosure may reduce public visibility of investigations. SPAK’s pursuit of corruption and organized crime could become harder, potentially weakening accountability and public trust. Still, the bill’s actual impact would depend on how courts and prosecutors apply the new rules.