After heading the General Prosecutor’s Office and the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets, Adriatik Llalla found himself in the dock.
Following a long period of silence, the former prosecutor general has decided to speak publicly in an exclusive interview with Top News.
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In his first account since leaving Albania, Llalla discussed the Italian authorities’ decision not to extradite him, his sentence in Albania, his designation as “persona non grata” by the United States, his clash with former ambassador Donald Lu and his criticism of the justice reform.
Asked about the Rome court’s decision granting him the right not to be extradited to Albania, Llalla drew a parallel between his fate and that of his father, who was convicted during the communist era of being an agent of the American CIA.
“The Italian authorities, the Italian courts, upheld my right not to be extradited to Albania. Finding the ruling unconvincing, given the harsh sentence imposed for such a criminal offense, and also taking into account my relatively serious health condition, the authorities decided not to extradite me to Albania. As for my father, it seems we have shared the same fate,” he said.
One of the most interesting moments of the interview was Llalla’s response when asked how he felt about his former subordinates investigating and subsequently convicting him. The former prosecutor general claims his case was handled with bias and that he was held to a different standard from other officials.
“Had there been an impartial investigation and trial, my case would not have ended this way,” Adriatik Llalla said.
He stressed that the fact that other officials investigated for similar offenses had not received prison sentences further convinced him that his case had been prejudged.
“In no other case involving senior officials, or any official investigated or punished over such a matter, has a prison sentence been imposed. Alternative penalties have always been handed down, such as fines, suspended sentences or other, more lenient alternatives. This makes me even more convinced that my case is exceptional and was handled with bias,” Llalla said.
The irony of his story, however, is that Adriatik Llalla himself, while heading the asset declaration and audit inspectorate, had called for tougher penalties for failing to declare assets—the offense for which he was later convicted.
Asked whether he regretted the initiative, Llalla acknowledged that he had personally initiated the legislative change.
“It is true that I requested the legislative initiative to amend the law on failure to declare assets. In fact, I called for the penalty to be increased from a fine to up to three years in prison. I was prompted by the fact that many officials were avoiding declaring their assets. The tougher penalty forced them to be more accountable to the institution responsible for asset declarations and audits,” he told Top News.
Reflecting on his own conviction for the offense, Llalla summed up the irony of the situation: “Indeed, I was the one who initiated it, and I was the one who was punished. I respect the court’s decision, regardless of my own views.”
The former prosecutor general also shared his views on the justice reform. He said he had not been part of the group of experts who drafted it, but had participated in roundtable discussions, where he expressed reservations about how the new system would be organized.
“In Albania, a different opinion is not really valued; instead, you are seen as everyone’s opponent. Everyone should come back and take part in the discussion about how to improve the institution’s work rather than undermine it,” Llalla said.
He also criticized the way the prosecution service operates today, saying decentralization had not delivered the expected results.
“The way the justice system is organized and operates today, particularly the ordinary prosecution service, shows that this organizational model and the institution’s decentralization have not brought improvements, but have instead prevented the institution from functioning normally,” the former prosecutor general said.
As for the case of former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri, Llalla does not consider it an instance of political persecution.
“No, Tahiri’s case was a normal case handled by the prosecution service and the relevant courts. I do not think it was a case of persecution,” he said.
Llalla also denied facing political pressure while serving as prosecutor general, stressing that his appointments to lead the institutions had been supported by both sides in parliament.
“In my work, I never faced a political attack from either the governing majority or the opposition. On the contrary, on both occasions I was approved with the support of both sides in parliament. There were no votes against me. During my tenure as prosecutor general, I felt no pressure from either side,” he said.
Another major topic was his designation as “persona non grata” by the United States, with Llalla questioning the reasons and circumstances behind the decision. He did not rule out the possibility that his clashes with former US ambassador Donald Lu, particularly over the justice reform, had played a role.
“What I want to emphasize is this: Could Albania have been the first country in the world to have an official declared persona non grata? Albania, as a country, when the world has bigger problems, corrupt officials, convicted officials—could I have been the first case in the world?” Llalla asked.
He claims that after his term ended, investigations were launched against him for several criminal offenses, including corruption, but that the case ultimately resulted in a charge of failing to declare assets.
“Alongside the clashes with the ambassador and the debates, mainly over the justice reform, anything could have played a role. When my term ended, investigations were launched against me over a range of criminal matters, including corruption, but it ended with failure to declare assets,” the former prosecutor general said.
Llalla added that he had also contacted the US State Department to seek an explanation, but the response he received had not convinced him.
“I contacted the State Department, and the response came back saying the decision had been made on the basis of the views it held. But in fact, up to that point, there had not been a single newspaper article or media report labeling me corrupt,” he said.
Asked what he would say to Donald Lu today if they were face to face, Llalla gave a brief answer:
“I would prefer not to engage in any further debate with that official. I experienced what it means to hold a different opinion from him, and I no longer want to be part of that debate.”
Finally, the former prosecutor general also commented on the ruling against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which he described as unjust, saying:
“It is a completely unjust ruling, once again directed against Albanians, a people who have always been persecuted by the West. Once again, someone was found so that Albanians would be punished,” Adriatik Llalla said.
