Former Albanian Prime Minister Berisha under house arrest

(Patria) - Former Albanian Prime Minister and opposition leader Sali Berisha has been placed under house arrest after
refusing to appear before judicial police in connection with a corruption investigation, AFP reported.

The Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime indicted Berisha (79) in October, suspecting him of "passive corruption of a high public official".

The investigation is linked to the alleged favoritism of his son-in-law in the privatization of a state sports complex while Berisha was prime minister in 2008. Berisha is currently leading the opposition Democratic Party.

His lawyer Genc Gjokutaj said the court has banned Berisha from communicating with people "except for the family living with him" and added that they will appeal the court's decision, which they say is a "serious violation of law and human rights".

Lawmakers on Thursday lifted Berisha's legal immunity, paving the way for his possible arrest in connection with the investigation.

Berisha's son-in-law Jamarber Maltezi was arrested in October and placed under house arrest on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Maltezi is suspected of having used Berisha's position to buy a sports complex in Tirana owned by the Ministry of Defense, which was converted into apartments.

The former prime minister has denied the charges, calling them "purely political" and accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of initiating the investigation.

Berisha was the first democratically elected president of Albania after the fall of communism in the 1990s. He led the government from 2005 to 2013.

Last year, he was banned from entering the United States and the United Kingdom for alleged involvement in organized crime and corruption, charges he has denied.