Berisha reports on successes, not opposition questions to parliament

TIRANA, Nov 3 – The Albanian parliament held a hearing on Monday asked from the main opposition Socialist party with Prime Minister Sali Berisha on his ties to Bosnian businessman Damir Fazlic.
They claimed that based on their probe into the business activities of the Bosnian businessman there was discovered an intricate web involving Berisha’s family and that of his Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha.
But Berisha turned his two-hour long speech into a parade of the successes of his executive since it came to power.
He did not mention Fazlic a single time in his speech, though a month ago he had ‘threatened’ the opposition lawmakers he would bring him right there at the parliament hall.
He mentioned how the country signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, how it got the NATO membership invitation and likely become a full member next year, all credits going to his party and executive.
He said they had also improved the country’s image from a nest of criminals into a free one with hundreds of alleged criminals now behind bars.
The premier also said the country had turned into a success story with its economy, attracting foreign direct investment and low level taxes.
He also mentioned the fact that corruption, which brought him in power, had resulted with some more than 200 officials sent to the judiciary.
Berisha has also previously rejected opposition accusations and in turn threatened to open the “crime archives” of the opposition.
The debate turned very nasty, often personal among lawmakers and ministers.
The opposition accused Berisha of trying to stop the prosecutor office to investigate into alleged affairs his family was involved not only with Fazlic but also with the March 15 blast in the Gerdec ammunition disposal factory.
They asked for his resignation directly and personally blaming him of getting involved in Mafia-style affairs with businessmen.
Meanwhile prosecutors are looking at a series of transactions relating to the sale of one of Fazlic’s businesses and the activity of his other companies operating in the country, on suspicions of money laundering.
Fazlic worked as a consultant with a US-based company, BG & R, which designed Berisha’s Democratic Party electoral campaign. The Albanian opposition has charged that Berisha and Basha were involved in corrupt deals with Fazlic, by allowing him to sell one of his companies for 1.75 million Euros with no assets and without paying the VAT and income tax.
Fazlic has denied this accusation. Both Basha and Berisha have also denied the accusations.
New evidence published in the local media has suggest the Justice Minister Enkelejd Alibeaj, then a Berisha adviser, and his predecessor Aldo Bumci were involved in the legal process that paved the way for the demolition process that led to the March 15 blast in Gerdec ammunition disposal factory which killed 26 and injured 300 others.
If not seen that the speakers were all lawmakers at their hall Monday’s evening debate could be easily configured as one belonging to an electoral campaign talk show.