Berlin, 30 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Albania's right-wing opposition leader, Sali Berisha, has been placed under house arrest following allegations of corruption during his time serving as prime minister, local media reported.

A special court responsible for corruption and organized crime on Saturday granted a request by public prosecutors to have Berisha confined to his apartment in the capital Tirana until further notice, the ATA news agency reported.

The restrictions also include limiting his communication to only family members.

His lawyers plan to appeal the court's decision.

Prosecutors allege that Berisha abused the power of his office in connection with the privatization of the Partizani sports centre in Tirana, from which his son-in-law is said to have profited.

Berisha denies the allegations.

Albania's parliament lifted his immunity on December 21, paving the way for a criminal investigation.

The United States had placed 79-year-old Berisha on its sanctions list in 2021 due to suspected corruption and links to organized crime.

In 1992, Albanians elected him as their first freely elected president after the collapse of communist rule.

He was prime minister from 2005 to 2013. Until 2013, Berisha also led the Democratic Party of Albania (PD), a post which he returned to last year.