TIRANA – On 26 February, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Belinda Balluku, amid a major corruption investigation. Balluku is accused of manipulating public tenders, including the €190 million Llogara Tunnel project. The Constitutional Court previously suspended her from duty in November 2025, and the decision was confirmed in February 2026.
The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) indicted Balluku for violating tender equality for the Llogara Tunnel and the Tirana Outer Ring Road, alleging she had favoured specific bidders. She was initially suspended from office and forbidden from travelling abroad by the Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime.
Despite strong initial support from Edi Rama, who viewed the investigation as political interference, her removal came during a wider cabinet reshuffle, with a vote to lift her parliamentary immunity scheduled for early March 2026
Balluku was replaced in her position as Deputy Prime Minister by Albana Koçiu, who until now held the position of Minister of Internal Affairs, while the portfolio of Minister of Infrastructure and Energy was taken by Enea Karakaçi.
At the same time, Elisa Spiropali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, was replaced by Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s former ambassador to the UN, whereas Ermal Nufi was appointed Minister of Defence, replacing Pirro Vengu in the position.
Also, Besfort Lamallari was moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Interior, while Toni Gogu was appointed Minister of Justice.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has officially supported SPAK as a key reform tool while also increasingly criticising its methods as “going off the rails” and creating dangerous “collateral damage”.
He argues that anti-corruption efforts must not harm the state, recently targeting prosecutors for overreach regarding high-level government officials
“SPAK is not the Vatican, even the Vatican is criticized, SPAK is a new institution. It is necessary to listen to criticism, criticism not intimidation and personal attacks… When anti-corruption goes off the rails, it becomes even more dangerous than corruption itself. Entrepreneurs are taken and lined up as if they were criminals. Their phones are taken away and held hostage. What democratic standard is there? They see everything on phone, they read everything, private things, they even make blackmail and insinuations”, Rama stated recently, it was reported by the Balkan Web.
In addition, Rama proposed amendments to Albania’s criminal code, specifically targeting Article 242 of the Criminal Procedure Code, to limit the suspension of duty measures for cabinet members. He personally submitted the draft law to the Assembly, signalling a high priority for these amendments.
On the other hand, legal experts and observers view these legislative actions as “sticks under the wheels” of the comprehensive 2016 Justice Reform, designed to curb corruption.
