Albanian opposition leader Berisha released from house arrest, court says

Opposition leader Sali Berisha was released from house arrest following a ruling from an Albanian court on Wednesday, while he awaits trial on corruption charges, just as popular protests against his detainment intensified.

Berisha, 80, has been detained since December 2023 and was indicted in September when prosecutors filed charges, accusing him of using his influence in his first term as prime minister between 2005-2009, to help his son-in-law win a lucrative construction contract.

Berisha, who is the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, denies the charges and says they are part of a political vendetta against him by the ruling party.

His house arrest has sparked regular anti-government protests, including on Tuesday, when police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who blocked main roads in the capital Tirana.

"The court ruled to revoke the measure of house arrest for the defendant Sali Berisha," Elsa Lita, spokeswoman of the Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime told Reuters.

Berisha was president from 1992 to 1997, immediately after the fall of communism in Albania, and then was prime minister from 2005 to 2013.

The United States in 2021 barred Berisha from entering the country, saying he had been involved in "corrupt acts" including misappropriation of public funds and using his power to enrich relatives.