Italian official concerned about Mafia presence in Albania

TIRANA, Oct. 6 – Nichi Vendola, head of the Italian Puglia region, expressed his concern on the alleged presence of the Mafia and connections it allegedly has with local politicians in Albania.
In an interview with News24 television station, Vendola urged Albanian judicial authorities to clarify and investigate all the media reports on the Mafia links in the country.
“I am very concerned on the links still existing between the Albanian politics and parts of organized crime. From what I am reading in the newspapers that concerns me a lot because I had believed that such an involvement, coexistence with different types of Mafia clans, that of the mountain and the sea that had troubled the Albanian politics belonged to the past,” he said.
Vendola said that it is now up to the judiciary to put things right, adding that Albania with great potential should look forward to the development and modernization.