TIRANA, Sept. 8 – Arben Ndoka, a Socialist lawmaker, has given up his seat in parliament following weeks of pressure over his criminal conviction in Italy for facilitating prostitution.
In a letter to the Socialist parliamentary group, Ndoka said he was giving up his seat in Lezha County so he can work to clear his name.
He said he had been convicted by an Italian court for a crime he did not commit, and he would try to reopen the case and get an official pardon in Italy. Ndoka had served time in prison before being released in 2005.
The resignation comes more than a month after the U.S. Embassy in Tirana had called the presence in parliament of an MP convicted of human trafficking “disgraceful.”
Albania’s ruling Socialist-led coalition has faced pressure over having several elected representatives with criminal ties in its ranks.
Four MPs from the ruling coalition have had to give up their seats or have been expelled from the Socialist Party so far over criminal offenses or records.
Earlier this week, another Socialist MP from Lezha County was arrested for his involvement in a shootout and brawl that left seven people wounded.
The opposition Democratic Party had previously published a conviction sheet for Ndoka, showing he had been convicted for facilitation of prostitution in Italy.
Ndoka reacted by punching the opposition MP who made the conviction public. Ndoka faced criminal charges for the assault in a parliament hallway in full view of the CCTV cameras, the footage of which is now available on YouTube. A Tirana court dropped the charges, saying it was out of its jurisdiction to deal with violence inside parliament.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has responded to criticism over selecting Ndoka and the other problematic MPs to run by saying all candidates had produced a clean penal history when he had allowed them to join the list.
Under Albanian legislation, the party leader has final say on MP lists. Ndoka’s vacant seat goes to the next name in the list the Socialist Party ran in the June 21, 2013 elections.
