Haxhiu: Bureau’s scrutiny of officials’ assets will continue after their terms end

Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu has clarified that the end of their terms in office will not exempt public officials from asset verification. In an interview with RTK, she said the law on the Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets will also cover third parties suspected of receiving assets transferred to them to conceal ownership.

Haxhiu described the law as one of the most important tools in tackling corruption and organized crime. She stressed that it does not target all citizens, but officials suspected of using their public office to acquire wealth they cannot justify.

The Bureau will be tasked with scrutinizing public officials’ assets, including those that may have been transferred to third parties. If their income does not justify the wealth accumulated, the institution will ask the court to confiscate it.

Haxhiu explained that when an official’s salary and income do not match the assets they own, they will be required to explain the source of that wealth. This means accounting for the source of the money used to buy an apartment, a car or a house on the coast.

She made clear that the Bureau cannot carry out confiscations itself. When assets cannot be justified, the institution submits a request to the court, which has the authority to issue a final ruling.

According to Haxhiu, the verification process may be based on officials’ asset declarations or initiated by the Bureau itself. Reports from institutions and third parties, including citizens, may also trigger the process.

An eight-day period must elapse before the law can be forwarded to the president for promulgation. During this period, lawmakers and other authorized parties have the right to refer the law to the Constitutional Court.

Once the law enters into force, the Assembly will elect the Bureau’s director, Haxhiu said. She highlighted the importance of selecting staff with high moral and professional integrity.

Haxhiu also stressed the preventive role this mechanism should play, so that no one sees politics as a route to illicit enrichment.