Tirana Times
At large, the Albanian public has heard of so much corruption and organized crime allegations from and of its politicians, that one can forgive the people of this country for not being too surprised or angered by the latest wave.
They are mostly related to the arrest in Albania of an Italian man with alleged ties to that country’s world-renowned brand of organize criminals, the Mafia.
When it became know that there were some indirect ties between the man and one of Albania’s cabinet ministers, Majlinda Bregu, a fury of opposition accusations erupted.
The problem is not with the Albanian public per se, which has grown a thick skin at this point. The problem is with Albanian prosecutors who must perform their duties and act, investigate and charge people if there is any truth to the allegations.
The problem to a large degree is related to the Albanian prosecution. The prosecutor general, Ina Rama, must do her job in service of her country and prove whether the Mafia has a connection with politics in Albania or not. If she is unable or incapable of performing the task, she needs to resign and let someone else do the job.
When former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu was charged in the Gerdec case, where around 300 people ended up dead or injured, he escaped justice in large part due to delays in prosecution and mediocre approach that allowed him to hide behind immunity when he was re-elected as a member of parliament.
If Albanian politicians are allowed to act with impunity, then where is the incentive to follow the law?
A recent study by the Albanian Institute for International Studies shows that most Albanians believe politicians are the first group of people that believe themselves to be above the law. Criminals came second. It may be a perception, but it is not far from the facts.
And Mr. Mediu cannot be allowed to escape a real trial simply because of his parliamentary immunity. We are not declaring the man guilty, but he needs to stand in front of the judges for there to be closure for the the families of the victims and for the rest of the country.
This week, the European Court of Human Rights agreed to hear the case on the request of the victims’ families. As is often the case in Albania, solving the case in Strasbourg might be the only way to get any results.
And Albania cannot afford the current situation, where the only defence politicians have, is accusing their rivals of the same things they are being accused of.
What we face is a grave situation in Albania in which the opposition accuses the government of corruption, and, in turn, the government accuses the opposition of the same thing.
Simply put, the spectacle of press conferences and public trials needs to end, and the justice institutions of this country need to do their job.
