Albania’s Police Oversight Agency has launched an administrative investigation into the circulation of photographs showing recently arrested businessman Ergys Agasi inside police custody, raising questions over the handling and protection of personal data.

Agasi was arrested after weeks of pursuit by the State Police’s Operational Forces, in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation, after being declared wanted by Albania’s Special Prosecutor’s Office, or SPAK, as part of an investigation linked to the National Agency of Information Society.

Following the arrest, both the State Police and SPAK issued official statements to the media, releasing footage and information about the operation. In those official communications, authorities followed established standards concerning the presumption of innocence, identifying the suspect by his initials and obscuring his face.

The measures are also linked to legal obligations concerning the protection of personal data.

However, photographs of Agasi later circulated widely in Albanian media. The images reportedly show him inside a police vehicle while being transported from Durrës to Tirana, while other photographs were taken at the premises of the Tirana Local Police Directorate.

The Agency for Police Oversight (AMP) said on Thursday that it has opened an administrative investigation aimed at identifying the individuals who took and distributed the photographs.

AMP investigators are conducting checks involving police officers in Tirana, focusing on how the images were created, accessed and subsequently removed from police structures.