Albanian ex-president arrested

Albania’s former president Ilir Meta, a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Edi Rama, was arrested Monday in Tirana, his political party announced, with media reporting he was suspected of money laundering. Meta was arrested in Tirana by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Freedom Party said in a statement, adding that it had […]

Albania’s former president Ilir Meta, a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Edi Rama, was arrested Monday in Tirana, his political party announced, with media reporting he was suspected of money laundering.

Meta was arrested in Tirana by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Freedom Party said in a statement, adding that it had not received an official explanation.

The party’s secretary general Tedi Blushi in the statement called it a “criminal kidnapping”.

Meta, 55, was president from 2017 to 2022. Images published by Albanian media showed police officers escorting him out of his car and into a police special forces van.