More employees detained in BoA theft investigation

TIRANA, Sept. 3 – Authorities are continuing to investigate the theft of $7 million from Albania’s central bank, detaining and charging several other people, and bringing the total number of those facing criminal charges to 16.
All but one are bank employees. Most face charges of negligence of duty. One employee has admitted stealing the money to feed his gambling addiction.
There have been no new results announced from the investigation since the theft was made public in mid-July.
Parliament has launched an investigation through its economic commission. However, MPs expressed anger when an inspector of the bank declined to report to them. They want the inspector fired as a result.
There have also been continued calls for the resignation of Governor Ardian Fullani.
A civic group collected 13,000 signatures asking for his resignation.
The International Monetary Fund, which has a mission in the country, said Albanians should wait for the results of the investigation before jumping to conclusions. However, an IMF representative said the theft was a serious problem.
The government has stayed quiet on the matter after releasing a statement last month considering the theft a serious crime and appealing for an exemplary punishment for those responsible.
In July, authorities learned 713 million lek, roughly $7 million, were stolen from the bank’s high-security storage during the past four years.