Albania: Convicted former prosecutor arrested in Italy

Albania’s former chief prosecutor has been arrested in Italy following his conviction for hiding money from illegally owned properties, police reported Monday.

Ex-prosecutor general riatik Llalla, 52, left Albania after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for hiding property and giving false information on asset declarations Albanian officials must submit every year.

A statement from Albanian police said that following communication between Interpol offices of Albania and Italy, Lllalla's “whereabouts and arrest was me possible, a move which aims at extriting him to our country.”

statement did t say where in Italy Llalla was arrested.

After court issued its verdict last month, Llalla’s lawyer h asked for sentence to be suspended for health reasons. request was denied, and an international arrest warrant was issued.

Llalla resigned from his role as Albania’s most senior prosecutor in December 2017.

In 2018, prosecutors sequestered Llalla’s apartment in capital, Tirana, and just over two hectares (5.4 acres) of land belonging to him. properties h a total value of more than 98 million leks (some $900,000) at time, according to prosecutors.

Llalla could t account for money behind his buying and selling land and his purchase of an apartment, Albanian prosecutors said. He also failed to justify his family’s expenses in United States and Germany, y said.

Llalla was first high-ranking person to be sentenced by newly formed judicial institutions that were established to dress corruption in Albania.

Fighting corruption has been post-communist Albania’s Achille’s heel, strongly affecting country’s democratic, ecomic and social development.

In 2018, United States barred Llalla from entering country because of alleged corruption.

His conviction barred him from holding any public post for five years.