TIRANA, Dec. 20 – U.S. Ambassador Donald Lu met with the head of Albania’s opposition, Lulzim Basha, at the headquarters of the Democratic Party, where Basha told Lu the DP is against the unconstitutional selection of a temporary chief prosecutor.
A statement made by the DP’s press office said that Basha made clear that not establishing the High Prosecutorial Council (KLP), having its competencies taken by the parliament, selecting a prosecutor through a simple parliamentary majority and appointing her without applying the vetting process are all signs of an “unconstitutional coup.”
Moreover, the statement reports that Basha said all abovementioned moves were planned by Prime Minister Edi Rama in order to appoint a General Prosecutor whom he can control.
According to Basha, Rama aims to terminate the process investigating former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri criminal case and that of other politicians who are directly linked to Rama.
According to the press statement: “Albanian and US’ interests can only be served by denouncing Albania’s transition to a country of drugs and crime, by not tolerating the links of state officials with drugs and criminality and by asking that they are faced with justice.”
In this vein, the statement concluded, Basha ensured Ambassador Lu that both the DP and citizens will protect the Constitution through all the ways and methods possible, in accordance with the most basic democratic US values, in the months to follow.
Ambassador Lu also met with the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration, another opposition party that joined the Democrats in their protest.
Kryemadhi said in a statement she expressed to Ambassador Lu her concern over the political takeover of the independent institution of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
“It was a unilateral process carried out by a prime minister whose purpose was to grab the General Prosecutor’s Officer to cover his affairs and important matters, such as the investigation of former Interior Minister Saimir Tahir and other corruption cases,” SMI’s leader, Kryemadhi, said in a statement.
Analyzing a series of recent statements, commentators in the Albanian press have portrayed the stance of Ambassador Lu and his EU counterpart, Romana Vlahutin, as being against the opposition and in favor of the prime minister.
Both had endorsed a temporary prosecutor general with a simple majority vote after EU and U.S. experts said it might be the best solution until the justice reform bodies take shape. The intervention was necessary because the mandate of the previous general prosecutor ended.
