TIRANA, May 22 – Democratic Party lawmakers Ervin Salianji and Enkelejd Alibeaj, as well as legal counselor Gazmend Bardhi, were called by the Serious Crimes Prosecution on Monday to give explanations concerning the wiretapped conversation allegedly between Albert Veliu and the brother of Albania’s minister of interior, Agron Xhafaj.
Salianji and Alibeaj, in cooperation with Bardhi, were the ones who went public with the wiretap which, according to Veliu, testifies to the recent conversation between him and Agron concerning cannabis trafficking in Italy.
Agron, who traveled to Italy last week to serve a sentence issued by Italian authorities in 2002, has denied ever having this conversation with Veliu. Both Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj have also said the wiretap is not authentic, but rather staged by the opposition to block the country’s EU integration.
While Veliu said he was unaware of the surveillance during his public statement, journalist Jetmir Olldashi said he’d authored the investigation and placed a recording device on Veliu at all times.
The DP lawmakers said the investigation should have begun from Fatmir’s brother, and not from the ones pressing charges on a possible high-rank corruption case.
The issue also became a point of debate in Monday’s parliamentary committees, where opposition representatives repeatedly asked for Fatmir’s resignation from his post as MoI and reaffirmed Saturday’s national anti-government rally.
