Government attacks prosecutor on Basha’s indictment

TIRANA, Dec 2 – The government launched fresh attacks on Prosecutor General Ina Rama following the indictment of Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha on corruption charges for the Durres-Kukes road contracts when he was transport minister.
Basha himself came out last weekend in a press conference to say that his indictment was politically motivated and was instigated by opposition leader Edi Rama.
Basha was given the charges by the prosecutor last week after his lawyer refused to accept them.
He is charged with abuse of post and corruption for the contracts for constructing the highway which links the port of Durres with Kosova, which is considered the country’s largest public works project in a century.
“The indictment for the highway is unconstitutional, because there is a court order that the prosecution stop investigating the case,” said Basha.
Prosecutor General denied that the indictment was illegal.
“Although the court ordered to stop the investigation, the indictment against Basha is procedural decision and not an investigative action,” said the statement.
The minister said the prosecutor’s charges and the opposition were part of a conspiracy working in Serbia’s interests to sabotage the road link with Kosova that has been ongoing since 1994 when the governing Democratic Party began the project.
The opposition Socialists rebuffed the charges and asked the minister to resign.
“This indicted minister is trying to vest politically the charges against him, damaging terribly Albania’s and Kosovo’s image,” said Socialist lawmaker Arta Dade on the following day. “An indicted minister cannot represent Albania’s diplomacy.”
Basha’s immunity was lifted by parliament at the end of December last year.
Basha’s former head legal adviser, Andi Toma, is also charged with abuse of power.
The minister said he was holding the news conference ahead of a busy week with trips to different capitals in Europe. But he also said that he would follow the legal road in the case against him, not clearly saying if he was to respond to the summons sent from the prosecutor.
Basha is to take part in a NATO meeting in Brussels, later sign a UN convention on prohibiting ammunition in Oslo and then take part in an OSCE meeting in Helsink. A day later he is to take part in a conference in Berlin.