The $6 million agreement between the Democratic Party and the American firm Continental Strategy has sparked concerns, leading to inquiries by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK).
In April, Flamur Noka, the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of the United States, signed the party’s lobbying contract with Continental Strategy. Of the $6 million total contract value, $750,000 has already been paid for the first three months. Nuredin Seci, an Albanian-American, has offered a payment guarantee for this sum.
Continental Strategy is a U.S.-based consulting and lobbying organization that focuses on political strategy and government relations. The firm, which was established in early 2022 by former ambassador and state lawmaker Carlos Trujillo, has close political links to prominent members of the U.S. Republican Party, such as Senator Marco Rubio and Katie Wiles.
According to the terms of the agreement, Continental Strategy will offer the Democratic Party government relations services, particularly by building connections with influential members of the legislative and executive branches to support policymaking and the accomplishment of the party’s goals for governance and elections.
The Democratic Party emphasised in a media statement that the $6 million will be disbursed via the “Make Albania Great Again” foundation, set up by Albanian Americans.
This is the second deal the Democratic Party has inked with people close to US President Donald Trump in the last three months. Previously, one of Trump’s two primary strategists from the previous presidential campaign, Chris LaCivita, controlled the business that handled the PR for the May 11 campaign.
SPAK is the Special Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime Structure in Albania, set up as part of a comprehensive system of judicial reform aimed at the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime and bringing the country up to the standards of the European Union. SPAK was set up after Albania’s 2013 constitutional reform, which was meant to deal with entrenched corruption in the judiciary and the public sector.
The reforms created an independent institutional framework for the investigation, prosecution, and judicial treatment of organized crime and corruption cases. SPAK is formed by a Special Prosecution Office (separate from other prosecution offices) and a subordinated National Bureau of Investigation. SPAK Courts, which began activities on December 19, 2019, are replacing the previous Serious Crime Courts and exercise nationwide jurisdiction in related cases.
