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AHC: Corruption in public services hits vulnerable citizens hardest! (Call to the government)

2026-08-25 13:29:29Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
AHC: Corruption in public services hits vulnerable citizens hardest! (Call to
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The Anti-Corruption Network, which is composed of 64 civil society organizations, appeals to public institutions to undertake analyses and adopt reforms that reduce the pressing risks of corruption, especially nepotism and patronage, administrative manipulation, extortion and political corruption, during the pursuit of administrative processes by citizens for the benefit of public services.

These risks disproportionately harm marginalized communities, such as people with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian minorities, and the LGBTQI+ community, and have direct consequences on access to vital services or the ability to exercise their basic rights.

The Position Paper entitled “Corruption in Everyday Life” is based on the Corruption Diaries and Corruption Risk Map developed by the Albanian Helsinki Committee which reflect four main findings and a number of recommendations assessed through the testimonies of 80 citizens across Tirana, Shkodër, Elbasan and Fier.

The first finding is related to the fact that corruption is present in the daily lives of citizens.

"Corruption is not just bribery, but a daily system of mediated access to public services, which exist on paper while their access is in fact conditioned by connections, favors and informal payments," write the drafters of the position paper.

According to survey respondents, payment is rarely requested directly.

"It is offered as a "coffee," "gratitude," or "gift," or implied by the repeated visits that citizens make to the doors of institutions as well as unexplained delays in the provision of administrative services."

Citizens who refuse this path do not face formal penalties, but pay anyway,” the document highlights. Citizens are aware that corruption is illegal, but that following administrative rules and procedures does not reliably lead to the results that these rules promise.

The second finding is related to the excessive exposure of marginalized communities to the phenomenon of corruption.

The AHC study confirms that these communities are overexposed because they are forced to deal with the state more often for services on which their lives depend, while they are objectively unable to pay the informal price (hidden tax) which in some cases is almost equal to the benefit of the social service for which they are requested.

“65–75% of people with disabilities reported risks related to corruption throughout the disability assessment and reassessment process, unclear criteria for determining benefit levels, repeated requests for documentation, and dependence on medical commissions: delays that not only cause obstacles, but also interrupt income support that covers payment for treatment and mobility support,” the document states.

As a result, the “hidden tax” falls most heavily on those least able to pay it, and is increasingly invisible. The third finding relates to the ineffectiveness of anti-corruption reforms.

"Albania has established a strong anti-corruption architecture, but it is much more punitive than preventive. While the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) has set positive precedents in investigating corruption in both the public and private sectors, the implementation of this architecture as a whole reveals a number of weaknesses encountered in the citizens' interactions with the public administration, and public trust continues to decline rather than rise," write the drafters of the position paper.

Interviewees stated that institutions could work better if procedures were clearer and officials were held accountable, without the need to adopt a different strategy.

The fourth finding highlights the formality of citizens' engagement in the anti-corruption battle. The interviews revealed that public participation is very often procedural and cloaked in a cloak of formality.

"Corruption prevention will fail if citizens, especially those from vulnerable communities, are not given real and protected channels to be heard," the report states.

In these circumstances, the only approach left for an ordinary citizen is to withdraw or disengage, find a mediator, adapt to the informal norm, or simply give up expecting fair treatment.

In these circumstances, the anti-corruption network calls on responsible institutions to move from a punitive approach to a preventive and systemic approach to corruption in Albania, to strengthen protection for citizens and vulnerable groups, and to reinforce accountability and transparency at all levels of public administration.


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