TIRANA, March 7 – Albania’s Constitutional Court rejected Tuesday a request made by the former Mayor of Kavaja, Elvis Rroshi, to revoke the government’s decision to dismiss him following Central Election Commission decision regarding his mandate which led to an official dismissal from duty.
The ruling opens the way for early elections to be held in Kavaja to select a new mayor.
On Dec. 29, 2016, Rroshi was stripped of his mandate after the Central Election Commission exposed new facts about his criminal past, which were not included in the questionnaire submitted to the elections body in the framework of the decriminalization law. While still on duty, Rroshi appealed the decision to the Constitutional Court and demanded to be reinstated in office.
The Constitutional Court session was held behind closed doors and no media were allowed in the courtroom. Now it is up to President Bujar Nishani to announce the date of new local elections in the municipality of Kavaja, in central Albania.
Rroshi, who has been mayor of Kavaja 50 kilometres from Tirana in central Albania, since 2011, became one of the first senior officials dismissed after the entering to force of decriminalization law that aims to free politics from people with criminal records.
The law was approved in 2015 and forced 1,836 politicians and 5,000 senior officials in Albania to declare their criminal past and obliged authorities to check their statements.
The law excludes people that have committed serious offenses such as murder, rape and genocide from holding public office.
According to the Central Election Commission, in 1995, Rroshi was convicted in Italy on charges “of gang rape.” He also failed to disclose the use of several aliases in Switzerland. Data shows that Rroshi entered Switzerland illegally in April 1993 and sought asylum. He was caught in possession of drugs and was expelled four months later. Rroshi went to Switzerland again in 1997 and applied for asylum but was expelled one last time.
In 2015, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informed Swiss authorities over an ongoing investigation against a person known as Enver Rroshi suspected to be involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Enver Rroshi was one of Ervis Rroshi’s aliases.
Rroshi had been the target of many accusations over his past. In May 2015, Rroshi resigned after media published the verdict of his conviction in Italy over “group rape” charges.
At the time, Rroshi had Prime Minister’s public support, however Rama had a slight change of heart and said that “Socialist Party will not support anyone who has criminal record.”
Nevertheless, Rama refused to sign Rroshi’s discharge from duty although prosecutors ordered his arrest. According to a court order, Rroshi was detained to house arrest while prosecutors have not concluded investigations against him.
