TIRANA, Mar. 25 – The opposition’s Democratic Party made public on Saturday two more phone interceptions which, it alleges, prove the strong ties between the ruling Socialist Party and the country’s criminal networks.
DP representative Ervin Salianji showed the media two phone conversations between the head of the Fier police and Alfred Alizoti – who a few months back said he was a false witness hired by the opposition – which he said prove the efforts to hide the ties between former Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj and the socialist government with drug-trafficking networks, as well as the involvement of the SP Secretary General Taulant Balla.
“The prosecution’s official surveillance records prove the fabrication of a false witness and the facilitation of drug-trafficking conditions for the brother of the former interior minister, Socialist MP Fatmir Xhafaj,” Salianji said.
According to him, the prosecution is in possession of a number of official interceptions which point at the criminal affairs of the general police director and high-level SP officials in fabricating a false witness against the opposition.
The DP stated the prosecution is in violation of the law and the Constitution by not investigating the collected phone interceptions, where the police chief’s illegal political services in favor of the Socialist government and Prime Minister Edi Rama are proven.
The opposition stated that prosecution’s official interceptions prove the state and police degradation to the point of easing drug trafficking and protecting drug traffickers.
“The fact that a police officer sends payments to the fake witness against the opposition shows how criminals hold real powers in the Edi Rama government, shows the subordination of the police and the prosecution to them,” Salianji said.
According to him, the facts in the file indicate the abuse of office by the former interior minister, the general chief of police and the Fier head of police, as well as the involvement of the ruling party’s number two man in fabricating a false witness to save drug traffickers from justice and criminals.
“In a country with normal justice, all of them today should be in trial,” said the opposition representative.
Back in January, dozens of surveillance and documents ensured by BIRN through investigations initiated by the Serious Crimes Prosecution after denouncements made by the opposition’s Democratic Party revealed the influence of organized crime networks in buying votes in the districts of Lezha, Durres, Diber, and Kavaja
Brought forward by once-threatened journalist Klodiana Llalla, Files 339 and 339/1 are filled with documents and numerous surveillance CDs dating back in 2016 still to be fully investigated by the authorities, while the evidence is thought to have mounted from all the tapes collected throughout 2017 and 2018, when the country’s prosecution announced it was also surveilling Durres Mayor Vangjush Dako.
A second investigation by the Serious Crimes Prosecution, initiated after the DP denounced the Diber Country electoral process of September 11, 2016 was manipulated, also exposed people with a precedent at the local state apparatus in vote orientation or manipulation.
Recruiting people involved with organized crime to fill the voting void is considered one of the main reasons behind Albanians’ lack of trust in free and fair elections.
Alizoti, who first came forward as impersonating the brother of Xhafaj, accused of drug trafficking in the past and political protection by his minister brother, was a key actor in the DP’s accusations until he said his story was fake and sought political asylum in Kosovo.
The phone interceptions now published by the DP point to real phone calls between Alizoti and the head of the Fier police, mentioning drug trafficking and Balla’s name.
