In the list of candidates for the Board of the Bank of Albania that is expected to be voted on in today's session, the name of Matilda Shehu shines like a jewel of nepotism. At first glance, when we read her CV, everything seems perfect. A career of over 20 years at the Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana, as well as in other private universities, as a lecturer and researcher. In addition, the list is enriched with the position of member of the Board of Directors of Posta Shqiptare sh.a. and member of the Committee of Professional Examinations of Accounting and Auditing at the Public Oversight Board.
On paper, everything is in order. Academy, boards, committees. A curated, institutional, serious profile.
But what is not written in the official CV and which has clearly put Ms. Shehu on the list of safe candidates is the fact that she belongs to a family that produces board members and general secretaries for the SP government. And this is not a literary metaphor.
Her husband, Ismail Shehu, has been Secretary General at the Ministry of Justice since the time when the ministry was headed by Ulsi Manja.
Her brother, Saimir Tola, is a Director of the AFSA Board.
A family with stable representation at the top of the administration. Almost a business model: constant production of positions on boards and secretariats.
Finally, Edi Rama declared that he will fight nepotism and create an ethics commission. The sentence sounds nice at a press conference. The problem is that reality continues to be more creative than propaganda.
Because the issue is not whether or not Matilda Shehu has qualifications. The issue is the standard. When the same surnames circulate in the same institutions, when the boards seem like an extension of the family tree, then ethics committees resemble more decor than a filter.
And in the end, a simple question remains: are we dealing with meritocracy, or a system where the last name is the most important chapter of the CV?
