Adriatik Llalla is an Albanian lawyer. He served as the prosecutor general of the Republic of Albania from 2012 to 2017. During the years 2008 to 2012 he was inspector general of the High Inspectorate of Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest (HIDAACI).
He was the first official worldwide to be banned by the U.S. secretary of state from entering the US due to allegations of corruption.Convicted Former Top Prosecutor Claims His Sentence Was Politically Motivated
In March 2018, he was at the center of investigations for suspicions of corruption. In September 2021, he was sentenced to two years in prison and confiscation of assets, for failing to declare them in full. In the same period, he fled to Italy, being arrested following an international arrest warrant issued by Tirana's Interpol in Rome in December of the same year. He was officially granted asylum in Italy in March 2023.SPAK extinguishes hopes to extradite Llalla, former chief prosecutor gains political asylum status in Italy
Biography Background and personal life Adriatik Llalla was born on October 9, 1969, at the village of Llalla to Sulova province, Gramsh, Albania, where he was raised in a middle-class family. He is the youngest of five children of Xhemal and Sanije Llalla. He has said that he grew up in a family persecuted by the communist regime.INTERVISTA/ Llalla: Nga internimi, në krye të Prokurorisë. Do e nxjerr Shqipërinë nga bataku i korrupsionit His father, Xhemal Llalla, was sentenced in 1947 to life in prison, as he was suspected as a CIA agent seeking to overthrow the communist regime. Other family members were imprisoned and interned.Del dokumenti, si u dënua babai i Adriatik Llallës me burgim të përjetshëm si agjent i CIA-s
The Llalla family in 1994 settled in the capital of Albania, Tirana.
Llalla since 1999 is married to Ardjana Llalla, and together they have three children.
Education Llalla studied at the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, and in 1997 graduated in law. From 2009 to 2011, he completed the studies "Second level Master" for crime sciences, at the Department of Criminal Law Faculty, University of Tirana. In 2012 he received the title "Advocate" at the National Chamber of Advocacy Tirana. From 2014 to 2017, he completed his doctoral studies PhD "Doctorate in Criminal Sciences", at the Department of Criminal Law, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana. He has participated in many trainings of the School of Magistrates and various conferences inside and outside the country.
He is the author of several articles in various media on topics such as declaration and audit of assets, conflict of interest and the criminal field.
Professional career Llalla started his career as a judicial police officer in Lushnjë District Prosecutor's Office, where he worked as a prosecutor for three years. He was prosecutor of Kavajë and head prosecutor of Fier until 2005. He was deputy head prosecutor in Tirana from 2005 to 2008. He joined the Prosecutorial Council in 2006 and was its chairman from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, he was elected head of the High Inspectorate of the Declaration and Audit of Assets. In 2010, he was elected head of the Integrity Experts' Network. On 3 December 2012, he was appointed general prosecutor of Albania under the right-wing government of Sali Berisha and with the consent of the majority of the Albanian Parliament.
On 12 December 2017, Lalla's five-year term expired. On 13 February 2018, he announced his resignation from the judiciary, not wishing to continue his career as a simple prosecutor,Albania Jails Former General Prosecutor for Corruption a move that was interpreted as an attempt to avoid the vetting process from the Independent Qualifications Commission.Public Commissioner: “Former PG didn't resign properly. He should undergo vetting law”
In the summer of 2016, Llalla received messages containing threats against his life and his family. The messages (written and telephone), which came from organized crime gangs that the Prosecutor General's Office was investigating at the time, were considered serious, and the Lalla family was initially placed under heavy guard. Several EU countries were willing to offer hospitality to the family, and Germany (the name of the country was kept secret for several years) was finally chosen, where his wife, in advanced pregnancy, and his two children moved permanently that autumn.Exclusive/ Prosecutor General threatened, moves family to another country
On 3 December 2012, the president of Albania announced that he had selected Lalla for the post of prosecutor general. The selection was ratified by the Parliament of the country, with 75 votes in favor (PD), while 54 MPs of the Socialist Party abstained. As soon as he took office, Llalla immediately rehired six prosecutors previously dismissed by his PS-appointed predecessor, Ina Rama.Albania's New Prosecutor Vows to Tackle Crime
Seizure of ILDKPKI's documents and server On 7 November 2016, the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, following an order of the prosecutor general, proceeded to seize dossiers and the central server of High Inspectorate of the Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest (ILDKPKI). The Prosecutor's Office announced the opening of an investigation into the files of ILDKPKI containing the wealth declarations of high officials accused of conflict of interest. The investigation limited during the Chief Inspector, Shkëlqim Ganaj's presidency after it was found that during that period and despite ample allegations the Authority did not indict any high-ranking officials. The judiciary in all three instances vindicated Ganaj, considering the seizure and even the examination of the files illegal and abusive.Albania's Conflicts of Interest Chief Faces Abuse ProbeHigh Court Agrees with ILDKPKI, Confiscation UnlawfulLlalla betejë “epike” për sekuestro të serverit të kompjuterave të ILDKPKI, tentoi të eleminonte informacionet për pa The inspector general of ILDKPKI resorted to the judiciary in order to delegitimize the action of the prosecutor general. The Albanian courts in all three levels declared the action of the prosecutor illegal and abusive.Lajme Gjykata rrëzon Adriatik Llallënnuk i jep dokumentet e ILDKPKI
Socialist Party MP Erion Braçe had stated in an interview that the attorney general's aim was to block judicial reform.Court Agrees with ILDKPKI, Confiscation Unlawful The same was noted by several media outlets, pointing out that the seizure occurred at a time when ILDKPKI was examining the asset declarations of judges and prosecutors who were expected to follow the adoption of the law "On the transitional re-evaluation of judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Albania."https://exit.al/en/prosecutor-llalla-vs-inspector-ganaj-turf-war-continues/ Some argued that Llalla was trying to avoid checking his own assets.
However, the most vocal opponent of Llalla and his intentions was the American ambassador in Tirana, Donald Lu.
Clash with the US ambassador in Tirana
The conflict between the general prosecutor and the US ambassador to Albania began almost immediately after Lu's transfer to the embassy. According to Llalla's written reports to both the president of the country and the speaker of the Albanian parliament, as well as to the US Congress itself, Lu quickly went beyond the limits of his diplomatic duties and became a political actor in the country. Lu, in collaboration with organizations funded by the George Soros Foundation, tried to manipulate public opinion and officials to pressure the government and opposition to implement the reform. According to Lalla, he tried on several occasions to pressure the prosecutor to speak out publicly in favor of the reform and to encourage his subordinates to do the same. He even claimed that Lu had suggested to him that, if necessary, he should even arrest Ilir Meta, whom Lu considered to be a corrupt politician, for obstructing judicial reform.Letra e Llallës për Kongresin Amerikan: Donald Lu më kërkoi arrestimin e Ilir Metës!Zbardhet letra e Llallës për Kongresin Amerikan, akuza Donald Lu se kërkoi arrestimin e Ilir Metës, ish kryeprokurori kundëDid the US Ambassador ask for former LSI leader arrest? Lu meets President Meta
The confrontation began to take public form in early February 2017, when Lu accused Llalla by name that his actions undermining efforts to clean up the judicial system.Albania prosecutor in confrontation with US ambassador "...We are already seeing powerful people try to maintain their control over the Courts and over the Prosecutors.... The most recent example of this is the action of Albania's Prosecutor General. For more than 18 months he has consistently and loudly spoken out against the Judicial Reform. In November and December, Prosecutors tried and failed to seize the HIDAACI computer servers that are vital for the vetting", said Lu.US ambassador, Lu: Prosecutor general is against the judicial reform
Llalla, who, a few days before Lu's statement, had been denied a visa by the US Embassy in Tirana,Llalla Fights Back: Lu Put Pressure on Prosecution to Drop Bankers Case argued that the real reason for Lu's specific attack was the decision of the prosecution to open an investigation of environmental damages caused by Bankers Petroleum, one of the largest foreign companies operating in Albania.Former Prosecutor General: Rex Tillerson was a shareholder in the company we investigated, Ambassador Lu blackmailed me
At the end of Llalla's term, there was a heated debate between the government and the opposition on whether the prosecutor general's term should be extended because the body responsible (High Council of Prosecution) for electing a new prosecutor general had not yet been established, or whether an interim prosecutor general should be appointed by the government.Smoke bombs cloud vote in Albanian parliament
Ambassador Lu took up the cause of the interim prosecutor and again publicly attacked Llalla, saying: "...The old justice system protected wealthy politicians through corruption and political influence. The new system cannot have an attorney general who does not prosecute."US Ambassador Lu Attacks General Prosecutor Llalla Although the opposition considered the solution of the interim prosecutor general unconstitutional and a de facto regression of judicial reform, on 18 December 2018, amid riots both inside and outside Parliament, Arta Markou was appointed provisional prosecutor general with the 69 votes of the Socialist Party.Pas Monës dhe Lulit, Donald Lu i shtrëngon dorën kryeprokurores Arta Marku
One year after of the start of this public debate, on February 14, 2018, the US State Department banned Llalla and his family from entering the US, on grounds that he was suspected of being involved in significant corruption.Public Designation of Adriatik Llalla under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2017 Consolidated Appropriations ActU.S. Bars Former Top Albanian Prosecutor, Alleging Corruption
Resignation from the judiciary, prosecution On 10 February 2018, in a letter to the president of the Republic, Llalla announced his decision to leave the judiciary permanently. As a result, the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK) decided to discontinue its re-evaluation process, as stipulated both in the Constitution and in the relevant law no. 84/2016, On the Transitional Re-Evaluation of Judges and Prosecutors.Chamber Postpones Llalla Hearing to June 6 39 days after the KPK's decision was announced, the Public Commissioner appealed the decision. The Special Appellate College dismissed the request of the public commissioner on 18 June 2018.Decision for assesses Mr. Adriatik Llalla announced