TIRANA, Nov. 17 – Lawmakers pushed and shoved each other in the Albanian parliament Thursday as opposition MPs tried to prevent Health Minister Ilir Beqaj from speaking. They also called for his immediate resignation.
Beqaj appeared in a phone recording on an investigative television show earlier this week in which he threatens a public services executive who had not showed up at Socialist Party meeting. The executive was later fired.
The opposition says it is a clear case of abuse of power and political interference with public service employees.
Beqaj said the executive was fired for other reasons – paying an employee a salary for three months without actually showing up for work.
The opposition says Beqaj is corrupt, and he has been a target of many public accusations over public procurements of medical services and medicine.
He denies any wrongdoings.
