Adnan Xholi is the first candidate to have officially entered the race to lead the General Prosecution Office. According to the procedure opened at the High Prosecutorial Council, the SPAK special prosecutor has submitted his application to seek a post that remains one of the most sensitive nodes of the prosecution system in the country.
The first candidacy in a race with a near deadline
With this move, Xholi becomes the first name to formalize his intention to succeed Olsian Çela, whose seven-year mandate ends in December. The deadline for submitting candidacies to the High Prosecutorial Council has been set for August 1.
The fact that the race initially opens with a candidate from SPAK is expected to increase attention on how names will be filtered and what standards will be required for the next head of the prosecution body. For the moment, only Xholi’s application appears in the procedure.
A career of more than 20 years in the prosecution system and leadership posts
Adnan Xholi has more than two decades in the justice system. Born in Dibër on July 6, 1975, he completed his studies at the Faculty of Law and was appointed prosecutor in January 2004.
Earlier, he served as a Judicial Police officer and later as a prosecutor in Gjirokastër, before being transferred to the former Serious Crimes Prosecution Office in Tirana. He subsequently held leadership roles as well, including the temporary leadership of the Lezhë Prosecution Office and the former Serious Crimes Prosecution Office.
Within the structure of the General Prosecution Office, he also served as Director of the Directorate for Investigation Oversight and later of the Judicial Directorate. His profile also includes the title of Doctor of Sciences in jurisprudence.
From vetting to SPAK
In July 2021, after passing the transitional re-evaluation process, Xholi joined SPAK as a special prosecutor. According to publicly released data, he has investigated cases related to drug trafficking, contract killings and organized crime.
It is precisely this segment of his career that is likely to be at the center of public and institutional assessment, as the post of Prosecutor General requires not only long experience, but also a readable track record in weighty cases.
It is not his first attempt for a leadership post
This is not the first time Xholi has entered the race for a high-ranking function in the prosecution system. In 2022, he ran for the leadership of SPAK, while at the end of 2025 he competed again for the head of that institution.
At that stage, according to the data published on his candidacy, he presented a platform aimed at strengthening investigations and increasing the effectiveness of the prosecution office. He is now moving one step higher, seeking to lead the central prosecution institution.
The race for Prosecutor General thus enters the concrete phase of candidacies, with the first name submitted to the High Prosecutorial Council. It remains to be seen whether there will be other candidates by the close of the deadline and how competitive this procedure will really be in a justice system that continues to be tested by public trust.