Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has lost his appeal against the decision of the United Kingdom that declared him non grata, writes the Reuters news agency.
Berisha, head of Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party, was expelled from the United Kingdom in 2022 over his alleged links to organized crime and corruption, which Berisha denies, Reuters writes.
He appealed the Home Office’s decision to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in London in March, arguing that he was banned from the UK on the basis of unproven false claims.
SIAC rejected Berisha’s challenge in a written decision this Monday (June 17).
“We find it inappropriate to apply the formula of immunity as a former head of state applied in this appeal. For this reason and others addressed in the closed session, Mr. Berisha’s objection to ban entry to Great Britain is overturned”, the decision states.
Britain’s decision to declare Sali Berisha non grata came a year after he was also sanctioned by the United States for suspected corruption and abuse of power.
Berisha, 79, faces accusations in Albania that he used his influence when he was prime minister between 2005 and 2009 to favor his daughter’s husband in the privatization of state land, which he and his daughter deny, it is said. further in the Reuters article.
