Fazlic detention sparks political debate in Albania

TIRANA, Oct. 6 – The detention of Damir Fazlic, a controversial businessman already under investigation for fraud, sparked an intensive political debate in Albania with the opposition accusing Prime Minister Sali Berisha of doubtful links to the underground world.
Fazlic was detained last weekend in Sarajevo together with former Hague accused and Bosnian Muslim wartime commander in Srebrenica Naser Oric and they were asked for alleged racketeering together.
Fazlic is a businessman whose name has been linked to numerous scandals, not only in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but in Serbia and Croatia too.
The late Zoran Djindjic’s former adviser Vladimir Popovic claimed on a number of occasions to have documentation on Fazlic pertaining to his criminal activities in Serbia and his links to the so-called Tobacco Mafia and its ringleaders, while he was also questioned by Serbian police in connection to Djindjic’s murder.
The scale of the crimes in question is still unclear and the operation has yet to end and more arrests can be expected.
Fazlic was also mentioned for registering a number of companies in Albania dealing with construction and fuel trade that also involved Berisha’s close family persons.
Fazlic was also mentioned as the mediator to bring the U.S. BG&R company to assist the governing Democratic Party’s electoral campaign three years ago.
After the March 15 blast in the Gerdec ammunition disposal factory, that killed 26 and injured 300 persons, Fazlic’s name was also mentioned as a mediator between Meico’s of the Defense Ministry with Mihal Delijorgji’s private AlbDemil company (Delijorgji is under arrest and charged with mass murder together with his manager and also a ministry top official).
The local media reported a number of companies he had registered in the country, and also presenting a false birthday certificate for them.
Fazlic also served well to the opposition who immediately asked for clarification from Berisha on his alleged links with him.
Socialist Party leader Edi Rama directly accused the premier of being ‘caught’ from the Mafia links following his alleged links to Fazlic, “a person accused of all the black things in our region.”
Rama repeated their accusation of the government of illegally profiting from the Durres-Kukes road link to Kosova, Gerdec blast and other illegal activities saying that Berisha had “put the government to the service of the economic interest of his clan.”
Rama went further asking the prosecutor’s office why Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha, whose immunity was lifted last December to be questioned for contracts of the Durres-Kukes road, has not been questioned at all.
He also asked why the prosecutors do not freeze the bank accounts of the companies mentioned recently in different scandals.
There is yet to come any reaction from the prime minister.