Lustration Law Enters Into Force

TIRANA, Jan 15 – Albanian President Bamir Topi did not decree the lustration law passed by the parliament in December and also criticized from the opposition and international law experts.
But this abstained vote from the president also meant that the law is now passed.
Topi has been one of the initiators of the draft law when he was head of the governing Democratic Party parliamentary group three years ago. It was very much expected he would decree the law but it is very likely the reaction from the international community that made him refrain from directly approving of the law.
The lustration law was passed only with the governing coalition votes after the opposition political groupings said that its format was in contradiction with the country’s constitution. Some international experts also said that it is not up to the formal international standards.
The US embassy in Tirana said they would closely follow the implementation of the law. Washington, European Union and the OSCE reacted after it was passed by the parliament saying that the way the law was drafted left much to be desired. In a first reaction to the law, Zamir Shtylla, the top prosecutor heading the investigation of the Gerdec blast in last March 15, which has involved former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, presented his resignation to Prosecutor-General Ina Rama, who has yet to approve of that.
Another prosecutor, former head of the Tirana office, also resigned.
They have both been in the post since the former communist regime time and based on the new law they cannot stay in that position any more. The opposition said that the law aimed at moving from the post only a group of prosecutors and judges who are involved in cases linked to Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his cabinet members.
It is now very likely that the opposition will take the law to the Constitutional Court within the next two weeks.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha was pleased with the new law.
On the other side, former political persecuted said they were disillusioned with the president who had allegedly promised to them to decree the law in a meeting they had with him earlier this week.