Top prosecutor wants changes to NBI draft law

TIRANA, June 10 – Albania’s top prosecutor, Adriatic Lalla, said this week he is concerned about portions of a new law that aims to establish the National Bureau of Investigation, a new policing entity proposed by the government in its efforts to fight organized crime and corruption.
In a letter to Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri and the parliament’s Law Commission head, Fatmir Xhafaj, Llalla listed several objections to a draft being discussed in Parliament.
Llalla said the proposed National Bureau of Investigation, under the current draft, would be entitled to activity that does not meet the criteria set in the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The draft says that the NBI would work under the supervision of a prosecutor, but that opens up jurisdictional issues, according to Llalla.
Police forces in Albania fall under the jurisdiction of the Interior Minister, and the wording could cause problems in how the NBI operates, the letter notes.
The prosecutor general is also worried about potential political interference in the work of the NBI, as set in the current draft law.
Llalla’s letter also notes the prosecution is concerned about surveillance activities the bureau could conduct in private spaces without the authorization of judge, according to the current wording of the law, which go against Article 221 of the Constitution, the top prosecutor noted.