Today's announcement by Niko Peleshi not to convene the Council of Mandates to review Balluk's immunity is not at all a bolt from the blue. On the contrary, it was clearly warned by Rama last December. According to this publicly announced logic, the Assembly will wait for the Constitutional Court to express itself first and only then will Niko and his friends decide whether or not to express themselves on the immunity of their friend, Balluk. This is a monumental mockery of the Constitution, of the Republic, of the law and of every fundamental principle that upholds a state of law. This is, in essence and in form, a pure coup d'état that the Assembly is carrying out against justice.
The claim that the Assembly should only speak after the Constitutional Court has spoken has no connection, neither legal, nor logical, nor political. It is simply an open and unscrupulous act of disregard for justice on the part of Rama. He does not hand over Balluku. The issue that the Constitutional Court will examine has a very narrow and defined object: whether SPAK has the right to request the suspension of a minister from duty. Meanwhile, what the Assembly should examine is a completely different issue: whether or not the immunity of a deputy will be lifted. These are two different requests, independent and disconnected from each other.
The first is a judicial case, which is handled by the Constitutional Court. The second is a matter of a political and constitutional nature, which belongs exclusively to the Assembly. The first is related to a court decision taken by the GJKKO, while the second was initiated on the basis of a direct request from the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK). The first is based on the case when Balluku was accused of the Llogara Tunnel and a part of the Tirana Ring Road, while the second was initiated after it turned out that criminal files against Balluku have already been filed about 11 times. SPAK itself, in fact, at this stage is no longer interested in the suspension from duty and, consequently, not in the trial in the Constitutional Court, as it considers the suspension as an insufficient means to protect the investigations. For this reason, it has requested the proceeding with arrest, as a more proportionate and effective measure.
It is perhaps unnecessary to further clarify, in legal terms, that these two issues have no connection to each other, because this is more than clear. The real reason is much simpler and much more brutal: Rama is openly ignoring SPAK. Forget the former glories of the approval of the Justice Reform by the Socialist Party. Forget the political boasting that the Reform will stand because only the SP is its guarantee. Forget the claims that Albania's rapprochement with the EU is the fruit of the Justice Reform and its results brought by the SP. Forget also the words of support for SPAK, accompanied by relativizations for "a couple of small growth mistakes". With today's act, the situation has become completely clear: Balluk's immunity will not be lifted. And, finally, Rama has once again restored the system of immunities for himself and his people. This is a clear return to the situation before 2016, when the judiciary was prohibited from investigating government corruption; it is even a return to before 2012, when the investigation of corrupt government officials was not even legally allowed.
This is already clear. With today's banal justification, the only concrete effect is to place the Constitutional Court under open political pressure and its final break. The signal was clear even when the latter postponed the decision-making, as it apparently understood that Rama was trying to use it as an alibi. In fact, whatever decision the Constitutional Court gives on the issue at hand, as stated above, does not serve SPAK. The game is simply whether the Constitutional Court will also accompany Rama in disregarding and obstructing justice or not. Even if the Constitutional Court decides to reject Rama's request and suspend Balluk, Rama will still not lift his immunity. And apparently, this legislature will not lift any immunity for anyone. But, as it became clear, even a suspension from office would not do SPAK any good.
Finally, in 2026, at a moment when – ironically – we seem to be closer to the European Union (thanks to the Justice Reform), Rama has taken up the axe to dismantle the justice institutions one by one: first SPAK, openly ignoring it, and then the Constitutional Court, trying to bend it through political pressure.
RIP Justice Reform!
