UK entry ban on Sali Berisha (2022), upheld on appeal (2024)
Status: Ban imposed July 2022. Appeal dismissed June 2024.
Summary
On 21 July 2022 the UK Home Office, via envoy Sir Stuart Peach, imposed an entry ban on Berisha. The public grounds were a claimed link to organised crime groups and corruption. Berisha published the letter he received and said only he was named. He said the decision was 'slander and corrupt lobbying of Edi Rama and billionaire George Soros' and attributed it to the group that he said also backed the US decision against him. The UK ban was challenged before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. In June 2024 Berisha lost the appeal, according to JURIST and Deccan Herald coverage. The UK did not publicly name Soros or Rama. The claim of Soros-Rama sponsorship is Berisha's alone.
Key facts
- UK envoy Sir Stuart Peach announced the sanctions on 21 July 2022 (Exit News, article dated 22 Jul 2022). Berisha disclosed the ban the next day.
- Only Berisha was named. Berisha said his wife and children were not designated.
- The UK grounds, as Berisha reported them, were organised-crime links and corruption. Neither the grounds nor the envoy statement, as reported, mention Soros or Rama.
- The ban was upheld on appeal in June 2024 (JURIST; Deccan Herald).
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 (2)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- The UK imposed an entry ban on Berisha in July 2022 (Exit News; JURIST).
- The UK ban was upheld on appeal in June 2024 (JURIST; Deccan Herald).
What is alleged (2)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat Berisha had links to organised crime groups (UK government position as reported; not tested in public in the sources read).
- AllegationThat Soros and Rama lobbied for the ban (Berisha; no evidence found).
Allegations and who made them (2)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationBerisha: the UK ban was 'slander and corrupt lobbying of Edi Rama and billionaire George Soros' (Exit News, 2022 quote). Berisha's claim.
- AllegationBerisha: the ban was sponsored by Soros (Shqiptarja headline, undated). Berisha's claim.
Open questions (2)
- What evidence was used in the UK decision? The full judgment was not retrieved.
- Did the UK name other Albanian figures? The UK envoy said further sanctions were expected (Exit News summary and search results). Unresolved.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Berisha: denies the claims; says the ban was a Rama-Soros plot (Exit News, July 2022).
Timeline
Full timeline →International
UK bans Berisha from entry (organised crime and corruption grounds)
UK envoy Sir Stuart Peach announced sanctions; Berisha said he was among those named, and published the letter. He called the decision a result of 'corrupt lobbying of Edi Rama and billionaire George Soros'. The UK did not publicly name Soros or Rama.
Court
Berisha loses appeal against UK entry ban
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission upheld the UK decision. Reported by JURIST and Deccan Herald in June 2024. Only the month is known; the day field is a placeholder set to the 1st.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 2 sources.
Source label: VerifiedVerified · 2 sources
- Publisher
- Exit News
- Date
- 22 Jul 2022
- Publisher
- JURIST
- Date
- Jun 2024