TIRANA, June 22 – Albania’s High Council of Justice has filed an official complaint with the General Prosecutor’s Office against Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri accusing him of intimidating judge Arjan Aliaj who recently signed a suspension order against General State Police Director Haki à‡ako. It took nine days for the General Prosecutor’s Office to register the complaint and launch an official investigation. The General Prosecutor is expected to initiate procedures and verify all statements made by Minister Tahiri against the judge. Last week, Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Interior Affairs Saimir Tahiri made at least ten statements against the judge criticizing him as politically biased and having allegedly let free rapists and murderers. They also described Aliaj as a “contract killer.”
The High Council of Justice was summoned by President Bujar Nishani and warned that such intimidating, offensive and threatening statements were unacceptable. Minister Tahiri described its conclusions as ‘one of the most sincere acts in support to a judge that has ruled in favor of freeing murderers, rapists and that has been dismissed over these rulings but was also reinstated to serve to political masters.”
The interior minister will now be questioned by prosecutors who will decide whether his actions are criminal. Tahiri’s declarations have also been criticized by the Association of Judges and Prosecutors as well as by the Executive Council of Judicial Conference that have described the statements as vicious attacks by the government to the judiciary.
In the meantime, Albania’s State Police has launched an investigation into the wealth of judge Arjan Aliaj on suspicion that he failed to disclose his wealth and assets, and allegations that he was engaged in tax evasion, money laundering and corruption.
Sources from the State Police told Tirana Times that the investigation began based on the wealth declarations of the judge but was also based on dozens of complaints and accusations by citizens.
