Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha gestures during a protest after the parliament voted to lift his immunity so he can face corruption charges, in Tirana, Albania, December 21, 2023 REUTERS/Florion Goga
TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's parliament voted on Thursday to lift the immunity of opposition leader Sali Berisha after his indictment on corruption charges, a decision expected to lead to his arrest.
Prosecutors charged Berisha, 79, a former president and prime minister, in October with using his influence while premier between 2005 and 2009 to favour his daughter's husband in the privatisation of state land.
Berisha, who denies the charges, said the vote by 75 government lawmakers in the 140-seat parliament was illegal and politically motivated.
"This decision will not be able to accomplish its aim to destroy the opposition, rather it will mobilize the opposition with the motto, now or never," said Berisha, who now faces detention or house arrest.
Lawmakers who support Berisha disrupted the session by igniting blue smoke bombs and piling chairs in the room.
Outside, hundreds of his supporters protested as police cordoned off the building as officers in anti-riot gear including water cannon stood by in case of violence.
Berisha served as president from 1992 to 1997, shortly after the tumultuous collapse of communism in the poor southwestern Balkan country, and as prime minister from 2005 to 2013.
In 2021, the United States barred entry to Berisha and his family, with the State Department accusing him of having been involved while prime minister in "corrupt acts...including using his power for his own benefit and to enrich" relatives and political allies. He denied the accusations.
Berisha now heads Albania's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party.
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga; editing by Mark Heinrich)
