Albanian General Prosecutor in surprise visit to EU’s Anti-Fraud Office OLAF

Brussels (Tirana Echo) – Albania’s General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla has landed on a surprise visit to Brussels where he has met today with the European Anti-Fraud Office Director-General Giovanni Hessler, only days after his clash with US Ambassador to Tirana over the justice reform.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Albania, Llalla met with OLAF’s Director-General Giovanni Kessler to discuss about fighting corruption and about the new legislative measures undertaken under the new justice reform underway in the small Balkan country.

A statement on GP’s website said that “the General Prosecutor considers the fight against corruption as one of the principal priorities of Albania in its integration into the EU” – hoping that the experience of Brussels officials will help his office to strengthen legislative mechanisms in Albania.

The visit comes after strong clashes between Prosecutor Llalla and US Ambassador to Albania Donald Lu who exchanged unprecedented mutual accusations last week in what has become a major public show of legal authority.

Local Albanian media have also reported that the Prosecutor’s visit to Brussels takes place while the EU Ambassador in Tirana Romana Vlahutin is under heat on a shady affair with a €1,6m villa allegedly bought at double the market rate in a luxury residential complex in Tirana.

OLAF investigates a wide range of wrongdoings with EU money from embezzlement, fraudulent claims and misconduct in public procurement procedures, to customs fraud. Over the past 6 years, OLAF concluded over 1400 investigations of EU officials, recovered over €3 billion to the EU budget and issued over 1600 recommendations for judicial, financial, disciplinary and administrative action to be taken by the competent authorities of the Member States and the EU.