Sali Berisha denounces the loss of 236 billion lek from Albanians' savings due to the depreciation of the euro, but excludes from criticism the Bank of Albania, the institution led by Governor Gent Sejko and which has a direct role in monetary policy and interventions in the foreign exchange market.
At the press conference, the leader of the Democratic Party stated that Albanians have lost about 30 percent of the value of their savings due to the decline of the euro against the lek.
Berisha attributed this situation to the massive influx of illegal euros into Albania, accusing the government of links to traffickers and the impact that, according to him, criminal money has on the economy.
"I will present to you today the data on the catastrophic consequences of the narco-euros that traffickers linked to the government bring to Albania in wagons, containers, planes, minibuses and other means," declared Berisha.
According to him, in 2020 Albanian citizens had 965 million euros deposited, while in 2025 deposits had reached 2 billion euros. In the same period, the exchange rate had dropped from 123.7 lek to 96.7 lek per euro.
"Savings in euros from 2020 to 2025 have depreciated by 236 billion lek," Berisha declared, claiming that hundreds of thousands of Albanians have lost about 30 percent of their savings.
But while denouncing the consequences of the euro's devaluation, the opposition leader came to the defense of the Bank of Albania.
"The Bank of Albania, rightly, not wrongly, is obliged to protect the euro," said Berisha, referring to the large amounts of currency that, according to him, enter Albania through containers, trucks and planes.
In this way, Berisha blamed the government and criminal money for the euro's collapse, while amnestied the Bank of Albania and Governor Gent Sejko from criticism, despite the institution's role in monetary policy and the foreign exchange market.
Berisha's stance comes at a time when the Parliament has also approved legal amendments that give the Governor of the Bank of Albania special procedural protection from criminal measures for actions related to the exercise of his duties.
The law was approved on October 29 with the votes of the socialist majority, while the opposition, although it did not vote in favor, failed to prevent the approval of the contested provision. Its role remained passive in relation to this legal change, which strengthens the procedural protection of the governor.
Thus, while the majority provided Gent Sejko with new legal protection, Berisha, in his denunciation of the devaluation of the euro, left the Bank of Albania out of the responsibility he seeks for the consequences on citizens' savings.
