Albanian justice minister asks president to fire chief prosecutor

TIRANA, Albania נJustice Minister Aldo Bumci of the ruling Democratic Party called on President Alfred Moisiu to decide on the dismissal of Prosecutor-General Theodhori Sollaku, who is accused by the ruling coalition of links to organised crime. Moisiu has not yet acted despite having a report prepared by an ad hoc investigative parliametnary commission and endorsed by parliament late last month. Democrats and their allies passed the report and asked the president to move Sollaku from the post. After receiving the report and the request from the parliament, which was voted only by the ruling majority while the opposition opposed it and boycotted the voting, Moisiu’s office issued a statement saying more time was needed to examine all the related documentation. Moisiu is in a great challenge ahead to decide on that. Sollaku and the opposition insist the entire effort is politically motivated and accuse Prime Minister Sali Berisha of trying to take all the main institution under his control. Hundreds of pages of the report prepared by the investigative commission accused Sollaku of deliberately hindering a fair prosecution of many cases and causing the state some $20 million of damages to pay persons who came out to have been prosecuted in vain. It also accused Sollaku of trying to hide his illegally earned property and wealth, lacking the required transparency declared by high state officials. The president is under continuous pressure from the Democratic Party-led parliamentary majority to oust Sollaku and from the Socialist Party-led opposition not to move him considering that a constitutional break. There has been continuous pressure and mentioning the month of September as the time when Moisiu needs to give a final yes to the request. But according to the constitution the president may take as much time as he thinks to consider the request. His legal advisers are doing that.