Albania Commission Fires Top Judge Over Unexplained Wealth

The three-member panel of Albania's Independent Qualification Commission on Friday fired Fatos Lulo, 57, a judge on the Constitutional Court, after concluding that his declared assets of several hundred thousand euros could not be justified by his earnings.

Lulo has a long career as lawyer and judge and had declared assets worth 92 million leks (700,000 euros) but could not provide the documents supporting his claim that the money came from his work as a private lawyer.

His lawyer, Ardian Visha, said his client was innocent and would appeal the verdict.

"The standard used by the Commission is a very low bar and it is difficult for anyone to go under it through the vetting process," Visha said after the ruling. Lulo was not present at the Commission hearing.

It was the first case for the long-awaited Commission that was created last year as part of the Justice Reform to clean up Albania's notoriously corrupt justice system and create a professional and independent judiciary.

Prime Minister Edi Rama applauded the verdict on Facebook, calling it a very good start. "I am sure, we haven't seen anything yet," he wrote.

Several judges and prosecutors resigned from their positions before the vetting process began.

However, the  decision to fire of Lulo has created problems for the work of the nine-member Constitutional Court.

Two of its members have gone after their mandates expired while another, Besnik Imeraj, resigned in February.

Currently, there are only five members and the procedure to substitute them could last for several months.

Read more:

Lack of Transparency Hampers Albania's Judicial Vetting Reform
Albania Vetting Commission Probes Top Judge's Assets