Albania Fires Justice Reform Commissioner

By Gjergj Erebara

Heral Saraci, the public commissioner responsible for overseeing the appeals process in the vetting of judges and prosecutors – a long-awaited reform in Albania – was fired for obstructing his own institution’s work and for illegal hiring practices.

Heral Saraci was sacked on Monday by Albania’s College of Appeals, which found that he had obstructed the the functioning of his institution and had hired staff without due process.

Saraci, who had not yet started his work on appeals resulting from the vetting of judges and prosecutors, had insisted he was not guilty.

Albania launched its much-awaited justice reform last year, which included a complex set of new institutions aimed at clearing the system of inept and corrupt judges and prosecutors, and giving judicial institutions independence from political influence.

Implementation has been slow, however. The vetting commission, which started work last October, has not yet delivered its first verdicts.