The parliamentary session on the salaries of judges and prosecutors dragged on past midnight, with debates that did not remain limited to magistrates’ pay. Prime Minister Edi Rama intervened several times, first saying he would speak when he himself considered it reasonable, and later bringing into focus the issue of arbitration and Albcontrol’s frozen funds.
Rama delays his position, but dominates the debate
During the discussions in Parliament, Rama said he would give his position on the issue only after hearing all the MPs who take the floor. In a defiant tone toward the chamber, he said he would speak “when I want, not when you decide,” further mocking the “bright minds” of legal thinking in Parliament.
His intervention showed once again that sessions on sensitive topics, especially when they affect the justice system and public funds, quickly slide from formal discussion into political and personal confrontation.
From salaries to arbitration: government defends its version
In the middle of the debate on magistrates’ pay, the prime minister also shifted attention to an arbitration case, disputing the interpretation that he had said he does not recognize the decision. According to his version, he only stated that the entity that won the case would receive “zero lek” from the Albanian state.
Rama insisted that by the time he spoke no amount had been paid and that the government was pursuing legal avenues to challenge it and block enforcement. These are claims made by the head of government on the floor of Parliament, and not a verified judicial account of the case.
Albcontrol and the frozen funds
A significant part of the exchanges focused on Albcontrol’s funds. According to Rama, the blocked money is in a frozen fund and will be touched only after the full clarification of the case is completed.
He also claimed that this money will be returned to the Albanian state treasury. In the absence of further details during the session, it remains to be seen how this statement will translate into concrete legal and financial results.
SPAK and proceedings abroad also mentioned
The prime minister said that for the entity in question there are administrative and civil proceedings, as well as a criminal case outside Albania. According to him, SPAK has also opened a proceeding on this issue.
Rama presented this as proof that the arbitration ruling has not been enforced and that the state side is contesting it through several channels. However, beyond the political statements made in the chamber, the real weight of these proceedings can be measured only by the decisions and official documents of the institutions responsible.
The debate over the salaries of judges and prosecutors continued past midnight, but the session showed that issues of justice and public money are easily used as ground for broader political clashes.
Instead of a clear explanation of the cost, reasoning and consequences of the decision-making, Parliament once again ended in exchanges in which the government defended its version, while the essence of accountability remained unclear.