A court in Albania ordered that former president and prime minister Sali Berisha be placed under house arrest following investigation on a corruption case relating to his time in office.
Prosecutors accuse Berisha, 79, of using his influence while premier between 2005 and 2009 to favor his daughter’s husband in the privatisation of a state land. Berisha has denied any wrongdoing.
Berisha now heads Albania’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Party.
“The court has accepted the prosecution’s request by changing a previous measure and has now ordered house arrest (for Berisha) without the possibility of leaving the country,” Berisha’s lawyer Genc Gjokutaj said after the court’s decision.
Gjokutaj said Berisha will appeal the verdict, which came after a court found he violated an order to appear twice a week in front of authorities.
The former PM has denied the prosecution’s claims, accusing current Prime Minister Edi Rama of carrying out a political attack to silence the opposition.
The prosecution has still to present its final indictment.
