Albanian ex-president Ilir Meta arrested for alleged corruption

Ilir Meta says he has full faith in his complete innocence following his arrest by the Special Prosecutor's for Corruption (SPAK).

Transcript

00:00The former Albanian President Ilir Meta has been forcefully arrested in Tirana on alleged

00:07corruption charges.

00:10Meta has previously been under investigation for allegedly hiding wealth as well as illegal

00:15lobbying in the United States.

00:18Meta has denied the allegations against him.

00:32Meta is the leader of Albania's left-wing Freedom Party and served as a country's president

00:38from 2017 until 2022.

00:42He has been a vocal opponent of the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama, accusing it of

00:47running a kleptocratic regime.

00:50The President of the Democratic Party believes Rama orchestrated the arrest and believes

00:54he targets his political opponents.

00:57The Prime Minister has denied this.

01:00Corruption has marred Albanian politics since the fall of communism, hindering the country's

01:05democratic, economic and social development.