This is the news from Wednesday 26 February.

10 tons of mandarins that were returned to Albania by Croatian customs two months ago due to high levels of pesticides have been sold on the local market. The Berat Prosecutor’s Office has arrested the farmer who produced them, and the two officials who certified the mandarins as regular and allowed them to be sold. The scandal is made worse by the fact that the National Food Authority declared in December that the 10 tons of mandarins had been destroyed.

The Head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Altin Dumani, stated today that SPAK is conducting courageous investigations and that the era of ‘the untouchables’ is faltering. Dumani also responded to criticism from the government about the independence of the institution. He stated that SPAK is subject to strict controls and oversight from the court, prosecutors council, and other institutions.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has continued today with comments on justice and its institutions in Albania. He said that he continues to fight for independent and European justice and has no electoral strategy to undermine any investigations. He said that if it wasn’t for his party, there would be no high-level investigations in Albania today. However, he questioned the proportionality and legality of arresting and imprisoning individuals without a trial, only to release them later when no case can be made.

Over two weeks since Kosovo’s general elections, the official results have still not been published. Prime Minister Albin Kurti asked the Election Commission to publish the result, stating he was convinced that the new government will be of his party. The preliminary result gives Kurti’s party a victory, but not the majority needed to form a government