Former Minister of Finance and former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj has sued the Albanian government at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, accusing it of violating parliamentary immunity and the right to privacy during the investigations conducted against him by SPAK.
According to the official document, the lawsuit was filed jointly with his partner Erjola Hoxha and was filed on May 8, 2024. The case was officially communicated to the Albanian government on October 6, 2025.
The charge relates to the search conducted on March 9, 2023, in the apartment of Ahmetaj and Hoxha, as well as the seizure of Hoxha's phone, based on a GJKKO order.
Ahmetaj claims that the search was illegal, as at the time he was a deputy of the Albanian Parliament, and according to Article 73, point 2 of the Constitution, a deputy's residence cannot be searched without prior approval from the Parliament.
In his complaint, the former minister and his partner state that they had no effective legal remedy to challenge the search and seizure order, alleging violations of Article 8 (right to respect for private life and home) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Thus, the Strasbourg Court has asked the Albanian government to clarify: Whether the search of Ahmetaj's apartment was carried out in accordance with the Albanian Constitution and the rules of parliamentary immunity; And whether Albanian laws and judicial practice provide sufficient means to appeal such search and seizure decisions.