Allegations that Open Society influenced the 2016 Albanian justice reform and the government
Status: Unresolved. Allegations are made by partisan actors and advocacy groups. No court, prosecutor or official body has found that OSF directed the reform.
Summary
Opposition politicians, some commentators and several conservative US outlets say that Open Society Foundation Albania (OSFA) and wider Soros-linked funding shaped the 2016 constitutional justice reform, and that this gave the Socialist government control over courts and prosecutors. The documented facts are narrower: the 2016 amendments passed Parliament with all 140 votes present in favour, the Venice Commission and the EU and US embassies took part in the process, and OSFA publicly says it took part and funded some support work. The OSFA's own statements describe a modest role, but a 2016 article and later partisan reports describe a much larger one. The main documents cited for the larger claim (an OSF strategy paper leaked in 2016) and the funding totals (USD 131 million, USD 270 million USAID) have not been verified in this research.
Key facts
- Parliament approved the justice reform constitutional amendments on 21 or 22 July 2016 with all 140 MPs present voting in favour (Top Channel, 22 July 2016).
- Fatmir Xhafaj (Socialist) chaired the special justice reform commission; Edi Rama gave the closing speech urging the vote (Top Channel, 22 July 2016).
- The Venice Commission helped shape the draft; the EU and US ambassadors attended the vote (Top Channel, 22 July 2016).
- OSFA's executive director Andi Dobrushi said in January 2017 that OSFA was proud to take part in the reform and said the reform was supported by 96% of the population (Balkanweb, 25 January 2017).
- An exit.al article of 22 August 2016 says a 2013 OSFA strategy paper, released in the DC Leaks batch, set out steps for the reform. The article links a copy but does not verify it.
- Darian Pavli, who later became Albania's judge at the European Court of Human Rights, was OSFA director of programmes in 2016-2017 and had been an adviser to Parliament's justice reform committee in 2015 (Wikipedia, citing public records; not yet cross-checked with the ECtHR biography).
- OSFA's own fact sheets put its justice-reform support at USD 600,000 in 2015 (as quoted by search snippets of the OSF fact sheet; the PDF could not be read here).
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (3)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- The 2016 justice reform constitutional amendments were approved by Parliament in July 2016 with all 140 MPs voting in favour (Top Channel).
- OSFA publicly said it participated in and supported the justice reform (Balkanweb, 25 January 2017; Dobrushi).
- Darian Pavli held an OSFA role in 2016-2017 (Wikipedia; to be confirmed against an OSF or public-record source).
What is alleged (3)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat OSF drafted or directed the reform (Berisha, Goxhaj, exit.al 2016 article, IFIMES 2021).
- AllegationThat the reform gave the executive control over courts and prosecutors (opposition and commentators).
- AllegationThat Soros-linked money effectively bought the reform or the government's political support (Goxhaj, ECLJ, Fox/Nesho).
Allegations and who made them (5)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationOpposition leader Sali Berisha, in an IFIMES paper (2021), says the reform was the brainchild of OSF and produced a judiciary under the total control of the executive (author's argument, no documents cited in the visible text).
- AllegationAltin Goxhaj (lawyer, interviewed in 2016) said the whole justice reform was bought with Soros money (no evidence given).
- AllegationECLJ (2023, Grégor Puppinck) says OSF helped allocate USD 60 million in USAID justice funds (2000-2015) and that OSF invested over USD 131 million in Albania (1992-2020); no source table is named.
- AllegationObama-era USAID money was allegedly routed to Soros-linked groups to shape Albania's judiciary (New Greek TV, 2018, citing a Judicial Watch study of DOJ records; the documents were not reproduced).
- AllegationThe Fox News article of 16 April 2025 reports former ambassador Agim Nesho saying the judicial reform was Soros and USAID-backed (no evidence beyond the reports cited).
Open questions (5)
- Authenticity and full text of the 2013 OSFA strategy document released in DC Leaks (not verified).
- Full text of the OSFA response in Tirana Times (paywalled) and OSFA annual reports for 2015-2016 funding.
- Exact year and amount of the USD 600,000 grant, and whether OSFA's support was a grant or a contract.
- Whether the Judicial Watch / DOJ material (cited by New Greek TV 2018) exists and what it contains.
- Who, if anyone, in SPAK or the High Judicial Council had OSF employment or funding history (none found in this research beyond Pavli, who is not a SPAK figure).
Responses (4)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Andi Dobrushi (OSFA executive director, 25 January 2017): the accusations are a 'political tactic'; OSFA is 'not the enemy' and does not 'deal with conspiracy theories'; OSFA's support was made 'with an agreement with the Albanian Parliament' (Balkanweb).
- Edi Rama (about 1 March 2025, reported by A2 News): it is 'not normal to think' that the justice reform was carried out by George Soros (A2 News; article could not be fetched, see gaps).
- Escobar (US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, 13 December 2021): said the claim that Soros sponsored the US persona non grata decision on Berisha was 'absolutely wrong' and 'dangerous' (exit.al).
- Open Society Foundations did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests (Fox, 16 April 2025). Rama did not respond to Fox either (same article).
Timeline
Full timeline →Other
George Soros visits Tirana (Roma integration programme); meets Berisha and Rama; honorary citizenship given
Reported in Balkanweb (2016) that Soros visited Tirana in 2005. Other reporting says that during the visit he met Sali Berisha (then Prime Minister) and Edi Rama (then Tirana Mayor), and that the Tirana municipality gave him the title 'Honorary Citizen of Tirana' (the date of the title is not stated; Shqiptarja, 2025, says Rama gave it while mayor). The visit was described as concerning a Roma integration programme. The exact date of the honorary title and the meeting details are not confirmed by a primary source.
Other
George Soros visits Tirana; expected meetings with Rama and Basha; reported working dinner with Rama
A Tirana Times article dated 4 December (year not stated; inferred 2014 from the page's 'years ago' label and the officeholders named) says Soros was expected to meet Rama on Thursday and Basha on Friday. It also says he would attend an event at the Tirana Times bookstore and meet the staff of his Tirana foundation. A 2016 Balkanweb piece says he dined with Rama in 2014. The Basha meeting is not confirmed.
Parliament
Parliament approves the constitutional justice reform with 140 votes in favour
All 140 MPs present voted for the constitutional amendments (Top Channel, reporting on the 21 July session, dated 22 July). Xhafaj chaired the commission; Rama gave the closing speech; EU and US ambassadors and Basha were present. The text was dated 22 July 2016 in the official law (Law 76/2016, as cited in search results). The article does not say who initiated the reform.
Media
exit.al reports a 2013 OSFA strategy paper for the constitutional reform (DC Leaks)
exit.al says a 2013 OSFA strategy (for 2014-2017) set out steps for the constitutional reform, which the article says the reform followed 'in almost perfect manner'. The document was published in a DC Leaks batch; the article links an unverified copy. The article's causal claims are its own reading of the paper and rest on no funding records or communications.
Other
OSFA's Andi Dobrushi defends the foundation's role in the justice reform
Dobrushi says OSFA is proud to have taken part in the justice reform, that its support was agreed with Parliament, that the reform has 96% public support, and that critics had not seen the foundation's work. He cites OSFA support for families of the Gërdec blast victims for eight years. He does not name his accusers and gives no funding totals in the reported text.
Court
Darian Pavli takes up his seat as Albania's judge at the European Court of Human Rights
The ECHR's own career summary gives 7 January 2019 as the start of his term as judge in respect of Albania. His ECHR CV lists the Open Society Justice Initiative (2003-2015) and advisory work for Parliament's justice reform committee (2015-2016), but no OSFA role.
Government
President Meta receives Alex Soros and OSFA Executive Director Andi Dobrushi
Presidency announced the meeting with Alexander Soros, Vice President of the Open Society Foundations, and Andi Dobrushi, executive director of OSFA. According to the Presidency, Meta briefed them on his concerns about 'the government's effort to capture the judiciary institutions, especially the Constitutional Court'. The article gives no direct quote from Meta.
Connections
Alleged role in shaping the 2016 justice reform
Evidence: OSFA says it participated; critics say it drafted or directed the reform. No court or official finding.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 16 sources.
Source label: VerifiedVerified · 1 source
- Publisher
- European Court of Human Rights
- Date
- undated
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 4 sources
- Publisher
- Top Channel
- Date
- 22 Jul 2016
- Publisher
- Open Society Foundations
- Date
- 15 May 2017
- Publisher
- Top Channel
- Date
- 20 Dec 2019
- Publisher
- Open Society Foundations
- Date
- 25 Mar 2021
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 11 sources
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 25 Jan 2017
- Publisher
- exit.al
- Date
- 22 Aug 2016
- Publisher
- Wikipedia
- Date
- 2026
- Publisher
- IFIMES
- Date
- Jul 2021
- Publisher
- European Centre for Law and Justice
- Date
- 2023
- Publisher
- New Greek TV
- Date
- 9 Nov 2018
- Publisher
- Fox News
- Date
- 16 Apr 2025
- Publisher
- exit.al
- Date
- 13 Dec 2021
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 6 Feb 2016
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- 30 Aug 2025
- Publisher
- Tirana Times
- Date
- Dec 2014