The has yet to comment on a worsening corruption crisis gripping Albania, a key U.S. ally in the Balkans. 

After an Albanian court removed Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku from her post over allegations she interfered in two construction bids, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama took the issue to the country’s Constitutional Court. The court reinstated her on Friday until a “final decision” is made, according to media reports.

On Oct. 31, the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) filed a criminal indictment against Balluku, accusing her of being unduly influenced to favor a company in a tender for a 3.7-mile tunnel in southern Albania, Reuters reported. On Nov. 21—the day Balluku was ousted—SPAK added a charge for violating rules in a Tirana road construction project.

A day before her November court appearance, Balluku told Albania’s parliament the accusations against her were “mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies.”

As the second member of Rama’s cabinet to face corruption claims since 2023, her charges have sparked anger among Rama’s opponents.

Agim Nesho, former Albanian ambassador to the U.S. and United Nations, told Digital that Balluku’s case shows “the Rama government has no interest in taking moral responsibility or letting justice act independently. Instead, it seems intent on shielding Ms. Balluku, painting the judiciary’s actions as an attack on the executive.”

The former Tirana ambassador to Washington argued that “influencing the Constitutional Court may be an attempt to set a protective precedent—one that could help if investigators ever look into Mr. Rama himself.”

“It’s becoming increasingly clear ,” Nesho said, adding that Rama’s rule amounts to “state capture” because the “lack of checks and balances has enabled repeated corruption across his multiple terms.”

Nesho also claimed Balluku had pointed to broader involvement of the Rama government in decision-making. Former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, who went on the run after being targeted by SPAK, has similarly alleged Rama “directed all key decisions on tenders, finances, and public assets,” according to Nesho.

Ahmetaj’s accusations included claims Rama is linked to mafia bosses. Rama responded to these insinuations by saying Ahmetaj “should not be taken seriously. Albanian politics is not tainted by the mafia,” .

The U.S. has funded judicial reform efforts in Albania to support its EU accession by reducing corruption. However, those reforms have led to and public violence.

Nesho said, “It’s hard to see how a government acting like a banana republic gains entry to the EU.” He added, “Albania is a living contradiction when it comes to law and order.” While Nesho says Rama’s opposition has been “decimated by ‘lawfare’ and compromised legal institutions,” Rama remains in office despite “documented multi-billion-dollar corruption scandals, documented electoral theft in multiple voting cycles, and most concerning, documented like the Sinaloa Cartel.”

Allegations of Rama’s ties to the Sinaloa Cartel emerged after he met Luftar Hysa—who has connections to the cartel and is sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. Rama told an Albanian news outlet he met Hysa only once.

Regarding Balluku’s ousting, Nesho said, “Public anger is directed not just at [her] but also at the irresponsible conduct of a regime that rules without accountability, abuses public property and finances, and faces no consequences despite public backlash.” Nesho noted many Albanians have nicknamed the prime minister “Ramaduro,” a “direct comparison to Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.”

Rama’s press office told Digital it declined to comment on Nesho’s allegations against him.

In May 2021, the Sali Berisha over corruption claims, barring him from traveling to the U.S. Digital asked the State Department if it planned to issue similar sanctions against Balluku.

A State Department spokesperson told Digital, “We have no comment on ongoing legal matters.”

The U.S. Embassy in Tirana gave the same response to Digital when asked if it would suspend Balluku’s visa following her removal from office.