Press Release

Today, Minister of Interior Taulant Balla held a meeting with the General Prosecutor Olsian Çela. The focus of the meeting, attended by high-ranking officials from the Prosecution and State Police, was the evaluation of the current work progress of prosecutorial and police structures, coordination between them, and the alignment of priorities in combating crime.

During the meeting, Minister Balla highlighted that the vigor of the rule of law against organized crime is strongly striking the old ailment of crime links with the police and justice.
Minister Balla also praised the results achieved in dismantling drug distribution networks in September 2023, the work carried out by police and prosecution structures in this direction, and expressed the willingness to continue the work in this aspect throughout 2024, considering it a matter of utmost priority. 
Additionally, he presented some other priority aspects for the work of the State Police, seeking support from the prosecution. Among other things, Minister Balla highlighted the importance of two decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg regarding the issue of January 21 and the Hysa case against Albania, related to respecting standards in the application of the security measure "Remand in custody" during the investigation and trial phase.
From his perspective, General Prosecutor Çela appreciated the current level of inter-institutional cooperation and coordination with the State Police and the maximum commitment of the prosecutors despite the challenges faced by the institution due to deficiencies in the structure as a result of the reevaluation process.
He underlined the need to harmonize priorities in the fight against crime through better individualization within the framework of recommendations for the annual fight against crime, which the Council of Ministers conveys to the prosecution. He also underscored the imperative to improve the work regarding the decriminalization process, focusing on optimizing the utilization of communication channels available to the State Police for acquiring essential data from international partners. 

Among other things, the General Prosecutor called for increased caution on the part of the State Police regarding the respect of procedural rights of citizens in cases of seizures of assets of individuals who operate vehicles irregularly, so as to avoid unnecessary costs for both citizens and the state.
During the meeting, an agreement was reached to develop an action plan to tackle the new criminal phenomena stemming from the extensive use of social networks in perpetrating different crimes, where the massive impact on minors was considered highly concerning. 
The two institutions also committed to taking a series of joint measures to better coordinate data related to the international issuance and removal of arrest warrants for Albanian citizens.