TIRANA, May 29 – Albania’s Appeals Court decided on Monday to repeal the house arrest decision placed two weeks ago by the First Instance Court on Former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri.
The country’s prosecution is accusing Tahiri of “drug trafficking, in cooperation, in the form of a structural criminal group” and “passive corruption of high-rank officials.”
Monday’s court session took place after both Tahiri and the prosecution appealed the court’s decision. Tahiri’s lawyer, Maks Haxhia, requested Tahiri’s freedom, while the prosecution wanted him to be remanded in prison.
Haxhia expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision to repeal the house arrest, saying the prosecution had not offered any evidence that could back up its request to imprison Tahiri.
In addition to the publicity Tahiri’s case has received the past nine months due to his former role as MoI, this week’s court session got special attention after US Ambassador Donald Lu publicly warned he had received reports about attempts to pressure and bribe the cases’ judges.
He called on the country’s civil society and media to monitor the process and make sure the result is based on the rule of law, rather than threats and money offering.
However, before the court session began, Haxhia told local media Lu’s message was aimed so that the court judges based on evidence, adding that “if this happens, Tahiri’s house arrest measure should be removed today.”
After the court’s decided to release Tahiri, the opposition’s leader Lulzim Basha repeated his accusations of the strong ties between Tahiri and Prime Minister Edi Rama and how this was all part of a “well-orchestrated play.”
“Tahiri’s release proves that Rama has ultimately chosen the side of crime in Albania’s damage. This is a direct blow to the possibility of opening negotiations with the European Union,” Basha wrote in social media networks.
Tahiri turned into an embattled figure since last year’s October, when Italian police arrested an Italian-Albanian criminal ring led by the Habilaj brothers – distant cousins of Tahiri.
Wiretaps made public in Albania included the Habilaj brothers mentioning Tahiri in their conversation from the time the latter was still Albania’s MoI.
About two weeks ago, Tahiri gave up his MP mandate and immunity, claiming he wanted to face justice as a private citizen.
