TIRANA, Nov. 14 – In a first-eve move, Albania’s Justice Minister, Ilir Rusmajli, announced his resignation Wednesday following allegations of corruption by the country’s prison service head a day earlier.
Rusmajli, who had been in the post since April, denied any corrupt act taken by him but said he was leaving the post to speed a judicial investigation into the allegations.
A day earlier, the head of Albania’s prison service, Saimir Shehri, said that Rusmajli was promoting his brother’s construction company for a bid to build a new detention facility in the Albanian city of Durres.
Shehri, who also resigned from the post (and his resignation was accepted by prime minister), had harsh words about the minister.
“I resign because I cannot cooperate with a minister like Ilir Rusmajli who, from a justice minister turns into a minister of violating the law, Šand I have facts on that,” said Shehri.
Shehri said that the minister had blocked the funding of the prison department “as if they were Saimir Shehri’s private property.”
Shehri went further, directly accusing Rusmajli’s brother, who wanted to illegally win a tender to build a pre-detention center in Durres. He also mentioned that the head of procurement was fired from his post after he did not award the tender to Rusmajli’s brother.
“I resign publicly, demonstrating that this system is being absorbed by a group of Mafia people, without principles and moral, that thinks and act only to become enriched in an illegal way,” said Shehri.
Rusmajli, in response, accused Shehri of breaking laws and illegally releasing tens of criminals.
The minister said that he had always followed the fight against corruption, which was the leitmotiv of the government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, and was the reason he was resigning to open the way to the prosecutor’s office to investigate the charges.
Rusmajli had been Berisha’s deputy before becoming justice minister.
A spokesman for the government had no immediate comment on the resignation or on whether it had been accepted.
Albania’s judiciary has been rattled by recent allegations of corruption, including claims that convicted criminals had secured early release from prison illegally.
Earlier this month, parliament voted to oust the country’s top prosecutor for allegedly failing to fight organized crime gangs. The decision must be ratified by President Bamir Topi in order to take effect.
In efforts to fight corruption, more than two dozen senior officials of the executive have been arrested in the last three months on charges of corruption and abuse of their positions.
Enkeleid Alibeaj to replace Rusmajli as justice minister
Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha on Thursday nominated Enkeleid Alibeaj as the new justice minister after the resignation of the previous one a day earlier following allegations of corruption. Berisha nominated his 34-year old legal adviser in the post to replace Ilir Rusmajli who resigned following claims by the head of Albania’s prison service, Saimir Shehri, that he was promoting his brother’s construction company for a bid to build a new detention facility in the
Albanian city of Durres. Rusmajli, in the post since April after serving as Berisha’s deputy since they came to power in Sept. 2005, denied any impropriety but said he was leaving the post to facilitate a judicial investigation into the allegations. Albania’s judiciary has been rattled by recent allegations of corruption, and considered a main shortcoming in the country’s integration efforts into NATO and the European Union.
