The politician has been arrested on charges of corruption and money laundering, but his lawyers argue that he is a victim of political persecution.

Police in Albania arrested former President Ilir Meta on corruption charges Monday, stating that they had to use force in detaining the 55-year-old. Meta, who served as Albania’s president from 2017 to 2022, is now the leader of the center-left opposition Freedom Party.

Officials from the Freedom Party condemned the arrest, calling it a "criminal kidnapping." A video of the arrest showed masked police stopping Meta's car as he returned to the capital, Tirana, from Kosovo.

Meta faces accusations of passive corruption, failing to declare his wealth, and money laundering, according to his defense lawyer. Albania’s SPAK anti-corruption office claims that Meta accumulated a "considerable amount of money" through a foreign debt-collecting scheme.

SPAK also alleges that Meta and his former wife, Monika Kryemadhi, who is also a politician, profited from questionable business dealings by leveraging their influence over policy. The earliest charges date back to Meta’s tenure as finance minister between 2010 and 2011.

Further accusations include claims that while serving as Albania’s parliamentary speaker, Meta and Kryemadhi resided in a villa provided by a businessman they had assisted by, among other things, facilitating changes to laws. Meta is also accused of receiving illegal lobbying payments from a U.S. firm and failing to declare €100,000 ($108,000) in income and a €335,000 apartment.

Prosecutors said investigations are ongoing into other individuals suspected of involvement in this criminal activity, and they highlighted the international cooperation of the U.S., Austria, Italy, San Marino, and Cyprus in this case.

Meta has consistently denied any wrongdoing, with his lawyer asserting that the charges are politically motivated and connected to next April’s parliamentary elections. Meta was once a close ally of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has been in power since 2013 and is seeking a fourth consecutive term next year. However, Meta has recently allied himself with Sali Berisha, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, who is also facing corruption charges.

Berisha described Meta's arrest as "political," while Meta has accused Prime Minister Rama of corruption, referring to his former ally's government as a "kleptocratic regime."

Ilir Meta has been a key figure in Albanian politics since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, having first been elected as a deputy in 1992. Albania remains one of Europe’s poorest countries, with corruption being a persistent issue that the European Union views as a serious obstacle to Albania’s membership in the bloc.

If convicted, Meta faces a prison sentence of up to 12 years. Representatives from the Freedom Party have warned that his ongoing detention could lead to protests.