Basha’s trial on Durres-Kukes road postponed

TIRANA, March 16 – The college of the Supreme Court decided Monday to postpone the trial against Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha, charged of abuse of power and offering favors in tenders related to funds for the construction of the Durres-Kukes road.
The charges relate to the time when Basha served as Transport Minister from 2005 to 2007.
The next session is expected April 10.
Together with Basha the trial also covers his former legal adviser Andi Toma.
The Supreme Court decided not to hold the session as Monday was a national holiday.
The Supreme Court is to decide on two of Basha’s, one on charges of abuse of power related to a highway project linking Albania’s Adriatic coast with Kosovo and the other to determine if the Court was entitled to proceed on the case after two previous courts had ruled that the prosecutors had broken the time limits.
The charge of abuse of post states Basha has caused 232 million Euros damage to the Government’s budget.
Basha was present Monday at the brief session.
Basha has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the charges over a series of technical irregularities, arguing that he had not been indicted properly, while prosecutors claimed the process had been in line with the law.
The charges have accused Basha of abuse of post and causing the state a loss of some 230 million Euros in the deal for the 65 kilometer-long Rreshen-Kalimash section, which also includes a six kilometer-long tunnel which costs about one billion Euro. It is the country’s biggest public works project in decades.
The Rreshen-Kalimash section is only a part of the 170 kilometer highway from the port city of Durres to Morini in Kukes in northeastern Albania.
The allegations against Basha are related to an October 2006 deal the state signed with the Bechtel-Enka consortium, made up of San Francisco, California-based Bechtel International Inc. and Istanbul-based Enka.
The consortium was awarded a 418 million Euro contract to build a 65-kilometer section of road.
The highway, to be completed in 2009, will link Albania’s isolated north to neighboring ethnic-Albanian-dominated Kosova.
Basha has been charged with abuse of power and breaking tender rules relating to the construction project. He has denied any wrongdoing and says that the accusations against him are politically motivated and unpatriotic.
The charges relate to the time when Basha was Transport Minister. Basha’s immunity was lifted by parliament at the end of 2007.
Apart from Basha, the former head legal adviser of the minster, Andi Toma has been charged with abuse of power as well. Toma also has denied the charges against him.
Once completed in 2009 the highway will link Albania’s north with neighboring Kosovo.