Fazlic heats up political debate

TIRANA, Oct 13 – The interview of Damir Fazlic in Tirana at the private TV Klan station sparked a serious debate between the two main political groupings, first at the parliament and then in their daily interviews from the main leaders.
Meanwhile, official sources from the General Prosecutor’s Office said that two investigators of the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office had called the police in Rinas asking for Fazlic to be interrogated, but the police answered that there was no official actions against Fazlic and that they had fully respected the laws. The prosecutors arrived in Rinas airport while Fazlic’s private charter had already left.
The debate in the Albanian Parliament between lawmakers of the Majority and the Opposition disintegrated into exchanges of personal insults.
The opposition said that all the institutions, like the police, the Prosecution and the Intelligence Services ceased to exist when someone like Fazlic – on whom the prosecution has opened a case – was allowed to fly in and move about freely under police protection in the capital. They also added facts demonstrating that Serb businesses had the Albanian government under control.
Interior Minister Bujar Nishani refuted any claims that the Police provided protection and called this a “mere speculation” on the part of the Opposition.
On Monday Prime Minister Sali Berisha held a special news conference to declare that the cabinet would request foreign prosecutors to hold an investigation whether the executive had provided money and other facilities to the Serb-Bosnian businessman.
He also said that a parliamentary commission would start an investigation, declining to say that would supersede the work of the prosecutor’s office.
Berisha, like the ministries of justice and interior had done earlier, accused the prosecutor’s office of violating the constitution with their order of detaining Fazlic when he was in the country last week.
He also said that none could stop a foreign citizen like that, a move which according to him had seriously damaged the country’s image to the international investors.
Berisha also said that the parliamentary commission would investigate relations between the prosecutors with the government institutions.
The opposition answered saying that was a clear interference in the work of the prosecutor’s office, which is an independent institution.
The opposition has also asked for the dismissal of each and every police official that gave special treatment to Fazlic during his visit.