Former Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku will not return to office after the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime rejected her request to overturn her suspension on Friday.

The decision was issued by Special Court judge Erion Çela, who ruled that Balluku’s request to invalidate the suspension from public duty was not legally valid.

Balluku is under investigation on suspicion of abuse of office, linked mainly to several infrastructure projects, including contracts related to the Great Ring Road of Tirana and the Llogara Tunnel.

Following her suspension and subsequent replacement by Prime Minister Edi Rama, her former roles were reassigned within the government. The post of Deputy Prime Minister was given to Albana Koçiu, while the position of Minister of Infrastructure and Energy was entrusted to Enea Karakaçi.

With Friday’s ruling, Balluku’s suspension remains in force.

Balluku has also filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Albania, asking the country’s highest judicial authority to overturn the decisions issued by the two special court instances.

According to prosecutors from Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK), Balluku is suspected of violating equality in public procurement procedures, allegedly favoring certain participants in tenders linked to major infrastructure projects carried out in recent years, including the construction of the Llogara Tunnel and several segments of Tirana’s ring road.

She specifically faces allegations of “violation of equality of participants in public tenders or auctions,” an offense under Albanian law governing public procurement procedures.