Albanian deputy PM resigns over corruption claims
TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, Jan 14 – Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta resigned Friday over claims he tried to influence a state tender in return for a kickback.
Meta, who also resigned his position as economy minister, has denied the allegations by former economy minister Dritan Prifti. But he said he was stepping down to help a judicial investigation, because as a government minister he would have enjoyed immunity from prosecution.
“I leave the governing posts to go to the prosecutor’s office,” Meta said. Meta harshly accused Prifti and also main opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama for fabricating the video aired days earlier at a private TV channel, Top Channel.
Meta used harsh words calling Prifti a “monster” and accusing the Socialists of being run from the “Mafiosi”.
Prifti was questioned for four hours a day earlier on the video. at night shows Thursday evening both Prifti and Meta stuck to their stands accusing each other and not accepting the criticism.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha said he had accepted the deputy PM’s resignation, and praised Meta’s decision to cooperate with the investigation.
Berisha also highly evaluated Meta’s work and his contribution for the country to reach the visa liberalization and also other reforms for the integration into the European Union.
“Upon accepting his resignation I express my highest evaluation for Mr. Meta’s readiness to go to the proper (legal) institutions without the parliamentary immunity … and also without any executive power,” said Berisha.
The premier also harshly accused the Socialist leader for making many offers to attract Meta in his alliance before editing the video.
The scandal broke after a private TV station aired a video allegedly showing Meta asking Prifti to influence the awarding of a contract for building a power station. Prifti confirmed the claims and has testified on the alleged incident to Tirana prosecutors.
Top Channel reported Friday that prosecutor’s office had sent a letter to the U.S. authorities asking for expertize to prove if the video is authentic.
Meta, who was foreign minister at the time, says the footage was fabricated by the country’s main opposition party.
The main opposition Socialists said they would hold an anti-government rally in the capital, Tirana, next week.
The Socialists held a meeting of their leadership Friday turning down as unimportant Meta’s resignation. Rama added some more accusation against Berisha asking him publicly if he, or his family members had profited cash from a foreign citizen buying land in Albania. He also directly accused Berisha and Meta as main causes for the flooding of northwestern Albania last month, saying they had secured documentation showing how they had planned the flooding, even though the government considered it a natural calamity.
Rama said that next Friday’s rally will convene all Albanians, not only their supporters, to ask for the government resignation They want fresh elections.
Meanwhile the non-governmental organization Mjaft (Enough) organized another protests, the second in a row, in front of the Economy Ministry.
President Bamir Topi urged prosecutors to do their job and denied to add any comment.
It is not clear, however, whether the prosecutor’s office can launch a formal investigation, despite Meta’s offers. It would have been easier for them to first have a parliament voting lifting his immunity.
The European Union continues to tell Tirana that fighting corruption is a main focus for the country’s integration efforts this year. Natasha Buttler, spokeswoman of the EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, repeated Friday that the fight against corruption is a key criteria for the European integration.
Meta heads a small leftist party that is a key partner of the ruling center-right Democrats. No political crisis is expected at this moment. Berisha said Meta’s party, that was convened at an urgent meeting, would nominate his replacement.
Report: Video Corruption Scandal Engulfs Albanian Politics
TIRANA, Jan. 12 – A private television station broadcast a tape showing allegedly corruptive talking between Deputy Prime Minister and then-Foreign Minister Ilir Meta with then-Economy Minister Dritan Prifti.
From words read at the bottom at Top Channel TV station it was understood as if Meta was pressuring Prifti (who was fired in September last year) to employ some Socialist Movement for Integration (or LSI) supporters, re-organize e public tender and favor a company from which they would allegedly profit 700,000 Euros or seven percent of the tender’s amount.
The tape was taken in early 2010 only months after the LSI led from Meta became a governing partner with Democratic Party after contested June 2009 parliamentary polls. Opposition Socialists immediately called that the parliament lift Meta’s immunity and investigate his abuse of post.
A day later Meta himself came out to deny any of those allegations accusing Socialist leader Edi Rama of fabricating, editing the tape. He also sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli declaring that he had deprived himself from the parliamentary immunity and that meant there would be no more steps but the prosecutor’s office could immediately start the investigation.
Nevertheless by law it is required that the parliament votes to lift any immunity.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha hailed Meta’s decision on lifting his own immunity, declaring that in a statement coming out of the governing Democratic Party.
Meta attacked Rama saying that was a fabricated effort and that he had told his Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the pressure coming from the organized crime in the country. Meta keeps now the post of deputy premier and also economy minister since September when Prifti left.
That is the last in a series of corruption cases mainly mentioned from the opposition involving cabinet ministers.
The Socialists are focusing now in an attack against Agriculture Minister Genc Ruli for the time he served as Economy Minister (keeping the post before Prifti got it). He is accused of favoring some companies win public tenders hinting he has personal financial profits from the favor.
Opposition calls for resignation
TIRANA – Main opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama on Wednesday called for the resignation of Economy Minister Ilir Meta and also accused the government and the prime minister of being involved in stealing the country’s properties in corruption bad-governing.
Rama said that later this week his party would convene to decide how to proceed with their political fight. He did not forget to mention the fact that such corruption engulfing the cabinet is the result of the stolen ballots in the June 2009 elections.
“The shameful episode is one more proof, fact or group of facts documented for Sali’s (Berisha) and (Ilir) Meta’s bad governing,” he said.
Ex-minister confirms the tape
TIRANA – Former Economy Minister Dritan Prifti confirmed the existence of the tape and said he would later send it to the western embassies in Tirana.
Prifti said the tape and the words mentioned there were real, but only cut a little bit. He said he had the original tape, adding that he had offered the tape to Berisha who had not accepted to get and see it.
Prosecutor’s office reacts
TIRANA – Prosecutor’s General office said they had already registered the penal case. That means they will then ask the parliament lift Meta’s immunity before proceeding with any more steps in the investigation. In a statement it said they had already registered the penal case on corruption claims, adding they have already sequestered the tape as a proof.
Brussels urges investigation of the case
BRUSSELS – The European Union called on the Albanian prosecutor’s office to investigate the alleged case of corruption in Tirana.
Spokeswoman Natasha Buttler said she could not speak at length on the case but urged Tirana’s prosecutors to probe the information coming out in the media.
Corruption fighting is a main criteria for a country asking for the EU membership, she said.
“Of course the fight against corruption is a political criteria and the key criteria for membership into the EU,” she said, adding that the European Commission in its last progress report had urged Tirana to present concrete achievements with investigation, proceedings and punishment of all levels of crime.
Protest asking for deputy PM’s resignation
TIRANA – Former Economy Minister Dritan Prifti was questioned for hours Thursday over Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta over alleged attempts of favoring a contractor in a state power station tender in return for a kickback.
Prifti said that he had also handed over the original video to the prosecutors.
Meanwhile scores of people held a protest in front of the Economy Ministry keeping slogans against Meta and asking for his resignation. Two persons were detained in a follow-up protest in front of Meta’s political party offices.
Meta, who is also an economy minister, said the footage aired from a private TV was fabricated from main opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha considered the video a manipulated one and urged the prosecutors to fully investigate the case.
The same call was also made from President Bamir Topi.
