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almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

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Box 1: The Gerdec case<br />

Albania<br />

The most prom<strong>in</strong>ent example of alleged political pressure <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> judiciary is <strong>the</strong><br />

protracted Gerdec case, <strong>in</strong> which after three years, <strong>the</strong> court has f<strong>in</strong>ally issued a<br />

verdict. The March 2008 Gerdec explosi<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> military depot caused <strong>the</strong> death of<br />

twenty-six civilians. The case <strong>in</strong>volved military and civilian pers<strong>on</strong>nel <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

M<strong>in</strong>ister of Defence, <strong>the</strong> Chief of <strong>the</strong> General Staff of <strong>the</strong> Armed Forces and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

representatives of <strong>the</strong> army.<br />

The process might take much l<strong>on</strong>ger until <strong>the</strong> case passes through all appeals. Even<br />

<strong>the</strong> OSCE representative <strong>in</strong> Albania (Gazeta Panorama, 2011) emphasised <strong>the</strong> Gerdec<br />

case was not c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>in</strong> accordance with fair trial pr<strong>in</strong>ciples.<br />

5 . C<strong>on</strong>trol and <strong>oversight</strong> of police<br />

This secti<strong>on</strong> focuses <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>oversight</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Albanian State Police by exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

role of <strong>the</strong> <strong>oversight</strong> <strong>in</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>s such as <strong>the</strong> Executive, <strong>the</strong> Parliament as well <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dependent<br />

<strong>oversight</strong> bodies.<br />

5.1. Background<br />

In <strong>the</strong> last twenty years, <strong>the</strong> Albanian police have been subject to reforms focused <strong>on</strong><br />

c<strong>on</strong>solidati<strong>on</strong> of democratic values and accountability. The 2007-2013 Police Strategy<br />

established foundati<strong>on</strong>s for community polic<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Albania (M<strong>in</strong>istry of Interior, n.d.)<br />

and reorganised police structures based <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> community polic<strong>in</strong>g model, address<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> past gap between police and <strong>the</strong> public. Transparency and accountability were key<br />

features of this reform. The legal framework, <strong>in</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>al capacities and transparency<br />

mechanisms related to <strong>oversight</strong> of police have seen steady progress. The implementati<strong>on</strong><br />

of <strong>the</strong> legal framework, however, related to <strong>oversight</strong> of police activity is problematic<br />

and lack<strong>in</strong>g c<strong>on</strong>crete results. In <strong>the</strong> general structure of <strong>the</strong> police <strong>oversight</strong><br />

bodies, <strong>the</strong> governmental bodies and <strong>the</strong> parliament are <strong>the</strong> key actors of c<strong>on</strong>trol of<br />

this important <strong>in</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>.<br />

5.2. Executive c<strong>on</strong>trol and <strong>oversight</strong><br />

Executive c<strong>on</strong>trol of <strong>the</strong> police is c<strong>on</strong>ducted by <strong>the</strong> CoM and <strong>the</strong> Albanian M<strong>in</strong>ister of<br />

Interior. The CoM appo<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>the</strong> director of <strong>the</strong> state police up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> proposal of <strong>the</strong><br />

m<strong>in</strong>ister. C<strong>on</strong>sider<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong> CoM exercises direct competences over <strong>the</strong> police, it is<br />

unsurpris<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong>re have been no disputes between <strong>the</strong> police and o<strong>the</strong>r government<br />

bodies. Although <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>ister of Interior does not enjoy operati<strong>on</strong>al competences<br />

over police activity, he is resp<strong>on</strong>sible for def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g reforms, policies, strategies,<br />

orders and performance of <strong>the</strong> police (Law <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> State Police, 2007).<br />

27<br />

Almanac <strong>on</strong> Security Sector Oversight <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Western</strong> <strong>Balkans</strong>

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