Gerdec Becomes A Political Issue

TIRANA, May 26 – Two months after the March 15 blast in Gerdec which killed 26 and injured 302 persons, the issue seems to have been completely enveloped by daily political battling between the country’s two main political parties.
Meanwhile, the blast crater in Gerdec will be enclosed by a wall to prevent the public from entering the area.
On a different matter, Albanian opposition politicians criticized the government on Monday for blocking the Gerdec investigation.
Prosecutors have launched a probe into the March 15 explosions which could result in the indictment of former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu.
Prosecutor-General Ina Rama has asked parliament to lift Mediu’s immunity. The former defense minister resigned from the government in the days following the blasts.
Though Mediu has been accused of abuse of power, as a member of parliament he enjoys immunity from charges and cannot be formally placed under investigation.
Erjon Brace, of the opposition Socialists, said that “under the pressure of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, in parliament no procedural action has been taken, though there have been tons of bureaucratic actions to stall justice.”
He also accused Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli of delaying procedures to lift Mediu’s immunity. Parliament has yet to respond to the Prosecutor-General’s request.
Brace directly accused Berisha of being personally involved in the tragedy.
The opposition refuses the labeling of the Gerdec tragedy as ‘accidental’, saying the catastrophe was a result of government corruption and would like the case to be considered a state crime.
Mediu, leader of the Republican Party, which is a member of the governing coalition, maintains he is innocent and has complained of a one-sided investigation.
Meanwhile, nine people were arrested on Sunday while trying to steal exploded artillery shells to sell for scrap at the site of the Gerdec explosion.
Though the area has been cordoned off by the army, people have been venturing into the explosion zone at night to collect exploded howitzer shells.
Since the March 15 explosion, 20 people have been arrested for stealing shells at the site.
International donors have made it clear they are ready to fund the rehabilitation of the blast zone when it is cleared of mines.
Authorities believe that some 16 million Euros may be needed to return Gerdec into safe area.