Albania seizes property of ex-top judge convicted in anti-corruption case

TIRANA, April 24 (TemA) – Albanian authorities have confiscated an apartment owned by Bashkim Dedja, the former head of the country’s Constitutional Court, following his conviction for concealing assets and filing false financial declarations.

The Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO) upheld its earlier ruling, sentencing Dedja to six months in prison—converted to one year of probation—and ordering the permanent confiscation of a 60-square-meter apartment in the coastal town of Golem.

Dedja was dismissed from office after failing the second stage of Albania’s judicial vetting process, which revealed the apartment was held through a disputed contract involving the state electricity company and a relative. He had previously passed the initial review.

The case, investigated by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK), began in 2020 amid suspicions that Dedja owned undeclared real estate assets unsupported by legal income. The apartment had been under temporary seizure since that year.

Dedja was convicted under laws requiring asset transparency from senior officials—an essential component of Albania’s justice reform program and its EU accession agenda.