The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Socialist MP Ulsi Manja, has voiced support for a proposal to extend the mandate of prosecutors within Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), aligning himself with a request put forward by Chief Prosecutor Klodjan Braho.

Braho has argued that prosecutors should be allowed to seek reappointment after completing their nine-year term in office, a move he says would strengthen institutional continuity and effectiveness within the anti-corruption body.

Manja said he agrees with the proposal and indicated that the ruling Socialist Party is prepared to initiate the necessary constitutional amendments to allow prosecutors to be re-elected or reappointed for a second mandate.

He added that he is ready to formally begin the constitutional process to enable either the extension of terms or the possibility of re-candidacy, emphasizing that prosecutors’ limited tenure could undermine the quality of investigations.

“SPAK is a constitutional body with institutional longevity. After prosecutors accumulate experience, they are told to leave and are not allowed to reapply,” Manja said during parliamentary discussions.

He argued that prosecutors who wish to continue should be subject to a formal evaluation process for reappointment, similar to other parts of the judicial system.

Manja also called for cross-party cooperation, saying constitutional change would require political consensus.

“We should unite votes, change the Constitution, and remove the restriction on mandates,” he said, noting that the current legal framework was previously approved unanimously in Parliament.

However, the proposal faced strong criticism from opposition lawmakers Oerd Bylykbashi and Gent Strazimiri, who accused ruling party MPs of having supported the original legislation without fully understanding its provisions.

The opposition rejected the idea of extending or reopening mandates, escalating tensions in an already politically sensitive debate over judicial reform in Albania.

The discussion comes amid broader scrutiny of Albania’s justice reform process and the role of SPAK in tackling high-level corruption and organized crime.

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