Opposition renews demand for foreign minister’s resignation

TIRANA, Feb. 2 – The opposition Socialist Party has renewed its appeal for the resignation of Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha. Basha’s parliamentary immunity was previously lifted, opening the way to investigate alleged irregularities in issuing a tender for the Rreshen-Kalimash road project, which is being constructed by the U.S.-Turkish Bechtel-Enka group.
Socialist lawmaker Erion Brace made public other details of possible irregularities Basha had allowed while Transport Minister.
Brace said the selection of consultants was made illegally, the time periods of the contracts of consultants were not correct and mentioned other irregularities in the supervision process of the road segment project.
To support his claims, Brace mentioned details from the report of the State Audit Commission.
“These are enough facts to show that the Foreign Minister, while he was in the post of Transport Minister, gravely violated the law and for that reason he should resign,” said Brace.
Brace also said that the start of the work had been improperly delayed and mentioned other details on how public money had been spent inappropriately.
He said that such facts indicated that the construction costs would become much higher than the anticipated cost.
The lawmaker concluded by saying that these facts were enough to urge prosecutors to conclude their investigation and ring charges against the former minister.
Reacting to these accusations, Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic party, said that the road segment contract in question was, in fact, the most transparent ever negotiated in the country. He also said that Basha was one of the most successful ministers in his cabinet.
The Transport Ministry, commenting on the controversy, rejected Brace’s accusations claiming the construction contract was created within the law.
The ministry also said that no contractor had worked without a supervisor.