Dibra bows to political pressure, resigns from post

TIRANA, Sept. 27 – In a surprise step, that in fact was expected days ahead, Gazmend Dibra, head of the Aviation Department at the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, resigned Wednesday to leave an open space to the investigation and not hamper the work of the government post. Dibra came out in a news conference saying that he had learnt from a prosecutor that two of President Alfred Moisiu’s nephews had sued him. “Though this is false process set from the president and his family members and from (Prosecutor General Theodhori) Sollaku and his assistants, I have asked the minister of public affairs, transport and telecommunications that during this process I am replaced at my post from a commanded person so that functions I do are not damaged because of the process,” he said.
Dibra has been involved in a political squabbling between the ruling Democratic party government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and President Alfred Moisiu. Moisiu’s nephews are owners of Albatros flying company that was suspended in August for not paying an old debt. That immediately turned into a political farce with the two managers saying that they were asked by Dibra to influence their uncle to fire prosecutor Sollaku from the post as the ruling Democratic majority had asked since July. Moisiu has not made any move for that. The two nephews presented a tape recorded on a phone call with Dibra to make that clear. Dibra did not deny the phone conversation but denied he had exerted that pressure, also adding more manipulations were made to the tape. The prosecutor office started immediately an investigation which was considered as a counterattack against the government asking the removal of Sollaku from the post. Alongside all these exchange of words in Albania it is not a surprise that a public official accuses the country’s president of influencing the prosecutor office (after business circles mentioned before) to start a case in his favor, or in favor of his family members.