Are there any regrets expected after the sensational action in the Albania-Italy operation? The SPAK prosecutor who led the investigation speaks out
2025-05-21 22:48:53AktualitetSHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Vladimir Mara, SPAK prosecutor
The law specifies that the Prosecutor General has the right to propose the admission of a person as a collaborator of justice. This proposal is accompanied by a description of the conditions of cooperation. The proposal is filed with the Directorate for the Protection of Witnesses and Collaborators of Justice, which performs administrative and technical functions. The agreement for the protection of collaborators is signed and implemented within a short period, no later than 10 days from admission to the program. However, this system has its challenges. The program can be terminated if the collaborator of justice does not fulfill the terms of the agreement, if he provides false testimony, or if he is involved in criminal activities that he has not previously declared.
"The collaborator of justice, the moment he becomes a collaborator of justice and does not tell the truth or it is discovered that he has not told the truth in the testimonies he has given, may lose the status of collaborator and no benefit provided by law will be applied to him," said Artur Prenga, Deputy President of the Elbasan Court.
"Justice witnesses, at the moment of entering into an agreement, must be very correct with the proceeding body, just as the proceeding body must be correct with them with their prior agreements. Have there been cases? There have been cases when the justice collaborator initially cooperated with the prosecutor, but during the investigation it was found that they did not reveal all the events and circumstances they know, holding reservations, or were not honest in their testimony. For this fact, the agreement reached with them was broken," said Vladimir Mara, SPAK prosecutor.
The security of the repentant person, the protection of his family, accommodation in a safe place or even relocation outside the territory, are all costs that fall on the state budget. But what is little known is that payments for justice collaborators are never included in the annual government budgets. The reason? Because a repentant person can appear at any moment and here arises the need for funding that could not be predicted. Investigations and events are dynamic. In the last two decades, when the law has been implemented in practice, Albanian governments have been willing to finance cases whenever the prosecution has had a “boom” of repentant witnesses, as has happened in the last 3 years, where SPAK counts at least 8 justice collaborators in these years.
"Regarding collaborators of justice, we currently have a considerable number for criminal offenses that have been brought before the court and are already public, but we have collaborators for criminal offenses that are under investigation, and we do not provide further details," said Vladimir Mara, SPAK prosecutor.
"Since the situation is very delicate, you cannot transfer the convicts from one city to another, because Albania is small, that is why international agreements have been signed, which allow you to take the convicts to these countries, and take your convicts to them. All these are expenses that are provided by the state budget," said former prosecutor Eugen Beci.
Those who were once on the side of crime, today with their testimonies reveal the dark truths. Dangerous once, but valuable today for speaking out. With their testimonies, they give the law the opportunity to crack down on crime. The moment they take on the status of collaborator, they turn from criminals into the main ally of justice. For them, there is no turning back...
