Country Reports on Terrorism 2010 - Albania
| Publisher | United States Department of State |
| Publication Date | 18 August 2011 |
| Cite as | United States Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2010 - Albania, 18 August 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e52483ba.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Overview: The Government of Albania worked on amendments to the terrorism statutes on the Criminal Code, maintained asset freezes against two individuals and thirteen foundations and companies on the UN Security Council's list of identified financers of terrorism, and established a law on the civil forfeiture of assets acquired through criminal activity. The Albania Border Police consistently improved security at border crossing points.
Legislation and Law Enforcement: The Government of Albania sought to revise terrorism statutes of the Criminal Code and established a law on the civil forfeiture of assets acquired through criminal activity. The draft, pending approval by Parliament since November 2010, contains statutes covering acts with terrorist purposes, financing of terrorism, and money laundering. The amendments are based on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) recommendations, as well as several UN conventions ratified by Albania.
On December 10, local imam Artan Kristo, who in 2002 worked with the al-Qa'ida-linked charity al Haramain Foundation, was found guilty by a court in Durres and sentenced to five years in prison for "publicly inciting and propagating terrorist acts" in the AlbSelafi.net online forum. Kristo, also known as Muhamed Abdullah, appealed the decision and remained in detention.
On December 22, 2009, the First Instance Court for Serious Crimes found Hamzeh Abu Rayyan guilty of hiding funds used to finance terrorism. Rayyan was sentenced to four years of imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of US $6000. Rayyan appealed to the Supreme Court and on March 24, 2010, the Chief Justice suspended execution of the sentence pending a hearing of the case.
The Albania Border Police (ABP) consistently improved security at border crossing points and the vast areas between the formal crossings, and implemented roving patrols in the mountains along the border resulting in arrests and narcotics seizures.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Albania maintained asset freezes against two individuals and 13 foundations and companies listed under UNSCR 1267. There were no new cases of asset seizure or confiscation for 2010. In total, by the end of Fiscal Year 2010, the government was administering seized assets having a value of US$ 6,848,893, and had confiscated assets valued at US$ 851,998.
The government of Albania has continued to try and improve its Anti-Money Laundering/Counterterrorist Financing (AML/CTF) Regime. In 2010, the Albanian government proposed amendments to the AML/CTF legislation in order to address deficiencies that had been previously identified by MONEYVAL, the FATF style regional body to which Albania belongs. Albania recently underwent its fourth round of mutual evaluation in April 2011. The report stated that Albania has made "significant progress" in its AML/CTF regime since its last mutual evaluation in 2006, but noted that further progress was required to ensure that its terrorist financing law fully meets international standards, that the FIU has complete operational independence, and that more cases are developed, investigated, and prosecuted.
Regional and International Cooperation: Albania continued to cooperate with regional and multilateral organizations focused on countering terrorism.
