This article exposes how US funding through USAID may have unintentionally supported the erosion of democracy in Albania. It details the Justice for All campaign, a judicial reform project executed by the Soros-backed East West Management Institute (EWMI), which critics claim resulted in the creation of a kangaroo court used to persecute political opponents.
The US government has been accused of inadvertently supporting the destruction of democracy in Albania through its funding of a controversial judicial reform program. This program, known as the Justice for All campaign, was executed by the East West Management Institute (EWMI) and funded by the US Agency for International Development ( USAID ).
Critics argue that the program, which received nearly $9 million from USAID under the Obama administration, ultimately resulted in the creation of a kangaroo court used by Albania's socialist prime minister to jail his political opponents.First unearthed by Judicial Reform in 2018, the Justice for All campaign aimed to reform Albania's judicial system. However, concerns were raised by Republican senators that the project would give the Prime Minister and his left-of-center government full control over the judiciary. Despite these concerns, USAID defended the program, stating that strong foundations were needed for institutions like the high judicial council and the high prosecutorial council to be built on solid ground. Anne M. Trice, the head of the Justice for All project, claimed that the Albanian people needed institutions they could rely on to act with integrity. Trice reportedly earned a salary of almost a quarter-million dollars annually while running the Albania project, and EWMI receives the vast majority of its reported revenue from government funding. This funding controversy came to light during former President Donald Trump's administration, which implemented a categorical freeze on foreign aid pending a review of USAID's $40 billion budget. This freeze halted several ongoing USAID grants to EWMI, including a $3.5 million project to strengthen civil society and media sectors in Uzbekistan and a $6.4 million anti-corruption project in the Kyrgyz Republic. While Trump's decision to pause foreign aid may have been broad, it highlighted the potential for US funding to inadvertently support undemocratic practices abroad. The case of Albania raises questions about the effectiveness of USAID's oversight and the potential for taxpayer dollars to be used to undermine democratic values.
Politics Corruption Foreign Aid Democracy USAID Albania Democracy Judicial Reform East West Management Institute (EWMI) Soros Foreign Aid Kangaroo Court Political Persecution
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