The Democratic Party (PD) welcomed the establishment of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) but said the work of the institution will be duplicated by what Premier Edi Rama proposed today.

“PD welcomes the creation of SPAK and supports the independent functioning of this structure. PD’s will is to offer full support to and not prejudge any of the prosecutors of the structure”, Democrat Secretary General Gazmend Bardhi said.

“Ever since the first day of its creation, SPAK will face the same opponent that obstructed it for three years. With a ridiculous propagandistic show, Edi Rama announced the duplication by law of SPAK and National Bureau of Investigation (BKH), by entitling to police competences that the Constitutional Court rejected four years ago. The legislation introduced today already exists either in the Penal Code or in the anti-Mafia law. The only novelty of Rama’s anti-KÇK package is taking away competences from SPAK and BKH and giving them to the Prime Minister”.

The term “KÇK” (kap çfarë të kapësh, the Albanian for “grab whatever you can) was launched by Prime Minister Rama in a concerted attack on those members of the judiciary he deemed “know that they cannot pass the vetting”.