TIRANA, Albania – A citizen has submitted a complaint to Albanian media outlet JOQ, alleging selective fines and possible abuse of authority by officers of Tirana's Municipal Police.
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| A citizen submitted a complaint to media outlet JOQ alleging that a Tirana Municipal Police officer issued a parking fine on his Smart car while ignoring a luxury Mercedes-Benz with foreign plates. |
The citizen claims he was present while the ticket was being issued and says he questioned the officer about the decision.
What allegedly made the situation more controversial was the presence of other vehicles parked in the same area. Among them, the citizen specifically points to a luxury Mercedes-Benz with foreign, English license plates, which he claims was not fined.
When he allegedly asked the officer why the Mercedes had not received a ticket while his Smart had been fined, the citizen says the officer responded that the Mercedes had foreign plates.
“He told me it has foreign plates. I get fined with my Smart, while the other guy with a super Mercedes from England avoids a fine because it has foreign plates,” the citizen claimed.
The complaint has raised questions over whether parking regulations are being applied equally to all vehicles, regardless of their brand, value or license-plate origin.
However, the allegations have not been independently verified and do not, by themselves, establish misconduct by the Municipal Police officer. The citizen is calling on the relevant authorities to investigate the incident, including by reviewing available surveillance footage and determining whether other vehicles were subject to the same enforcement standards.
If the account is confirmed, the case would raise concerns about equal enforcement of parking regulations and whether foreign-registered or luxury vehicles receive different treatment from locally registered vehicles.
The citizen is asking the responsible institutions to investigate the incident and determine whether the alleged selective enforcement actually occurred.