Former Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta was arrested Monday after the Albanian Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) lodged a case against the former politician. SPAK published a press release saying that Meta (identified by his initials) was arrested on charges of “passive corruption” of high-level officials, money laundering, and failure to file or false filing of an asset declaration.

Meta’s political party, the Freedom Party, released a press statement condemning the arrest, describing it as an act of terrorism and “illegal, violent, and politically motivated.” The party argued the arrest was “without evidence, proof, or testimony.” The statement characterized the ruling Socialist Party as dictatorial, “operat[ing not] based on constitutional principles and law but rather on hatred, primitive revenge, political orders, and police-state methods of a dictatorial regime.” 

Meta personally made a statement to X after he was arrested, claiming, “The enemies of our nation and democracy will have the smile wiped off their faces.” “My abduction today in the most bandit-like manner reveals the panic of the dictatorial regime when faced with the truth,” he continued. 

In 2011, Meta found himself in a scandal when a videotape of a conversation between Economy Minister Dritan Prifti and then-Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta was broadcast wherein they discussed ‘”llegal appointment[s] to … public institutions and favoring [bidders] for material benefits.” In the tape, Meta requests “Prifti to intervene in a concession tender for the hydropower plant Egnatia-Shushicë in exchange for €700,000 and 7 percent of the shares.”

Former European Union ambassador to Albania Romana Vlahutin praised the arrest as “justice reform in full force… There are no untouchables… Justice may be slow, but in the end, it is served.”