Besfort Lamallari

Besfort Lamallari (born 18 July 1987) is an Albanian politician and lawyer who has served as Minister of Internal Affairs since March 2026. A member of the Socialist Party of Albania, he previously served as Minister of Justice from September 2025 to March 2026 and as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs from 2017 to 2025.

Before entering senior government, Lamallari worked on security and criminal-justice policy, including research on organized crime in Albania and the Western Balkans. From 2020, while serving as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, he represented Albania as negotiator for European Union accession Chapter 24, covering justice, freedom and security.

Early life and education Lamallari was born on 18 July 1987 in Peshkopi, Dibër County.

In April 2017, he was reported to have become an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs on organised crime, drug trafficking, radicalisation and terrorism. In October 2017, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.

Political career

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Lamallari served as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs from October 2017 until his appointment as Minister of Justice in 2025. Rama presented the government as centred on Albania's goal of EU membership by 2030; Reuters reported at the time that Albania's EU ambitions continued to face challenges because of corruption scandals and organised-crime concerns.

The 2025 parliamentary elections were assessed by OSCE/ODIHR as competitive and professionally managed, but without a level playing field. The mission reported intimidation, misuse of public resources, pressure on public employees, instances of vote buying and problems with ballot secrecy.

As interior minister, Lamallari continued to present organised-crime policy as linked to Albania's EU accession process. In April 2026, he said that EU membership was also a security and geopolitical project, and highlighted co-operation with European law-enforcement agencies, the creation of an Asset Recovery Office and reforms related to arms trafficking, drug trafficking, child protection and border security. In June 2026 he visited Eurojust, where he was received as Albania's Minister of Interior. Albanian media also reported a Europol meeting focused on drug trafficking, criminal groups, human trafficking, financial crime and online fraud.

Criticism and controversies

Police integrity and organised-crime allegations As interior minister, Lamallari has faced opposition criticism over alleged links between organised crime and law-enforcement institutions. In March 2026, the opposition sought a parliamentary interpellation with him over police-integrity concerns, with the Democratic Party accusing the authorities of failing to protect the integrity of the police force. During an April 2026 interpellation, Democratic Party MP Klevis Balliu described police “incrimination” as a national problem and referred to international concerns about corruption and organised crime. Lamallari rejected what he called a politics of mud-slinging, said that trust in the State Police was central to the rule of law, and acknowledged that individual police officers had violated the uniform but argued that the difference was whether problems were hidden or addressed through concrete measures.

In May 2026, after an operation in Sarandë in which police directors and officers were reported arrested on suspicion of co-operation with criminal elements and abuse of office, Lamallari publicly supported the operation and said there would be “zero tolerance” for police officers who co-operate with criminals or abuse their duties.

Election and governance context Lamallari's career in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and later in the Rama IV cabinet has overlapped with repeated international criticism of Albania's electoral and governance environment. In 2021, while he temporarily exercised delegated ministerial powers during the election period, OSCE/ODIHR reported that the ruling party benefited from control of local administrations and misuse of administrative resources, and that allegations of vote buying were widespread. These assessments relate to Albania's wider political environment rather than to a criminal finding against Lamallari personally.

Handling of protests During the 2026 anti-government protests in Tirana, police clashed with demonstrators opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and later broader criticism of Rama's government. The Associated Press reported that police used tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon after protesters threw objects and damaged police vehicles; Lamallari condemned what he called acts of vandalism and criminal violence against the police.

In July 2026, after a lawyer alleged that police had abused a detained protester with epilepsy, Lamallari denied the allegation, said that the State Police had described the claim as baseless, and stated that the Police Oversight Agency had begun verification. According to Lapsi.al, he also said that the Ombudsman had checked detained protesters and had not raised such a problem at that stage.

Publications Fabian Zhilla and Besfort Lamallari, Organized Crime Threat Assessment in Albania. Fabian Zhilla and Besfort Lamallari, “Albanian Criminal Groups”.