TIRANA, Oct. 27 – Albania’s parliament ruled Wednesday against a request by prosecutors to arrest Saimir Tahiri, a lawmaker and former interior minister being investigated for alleged ties with a cannabis trafficking organization.
The parliament voted 75-60 to approve the partial lifting of the immunity, as requested by Tahiri’s Socialist Party. The ruling meas the Serious Crimes Prosecutors’ Office can’t arrest Tahiri, but Tahiri can’t leave the country and has to answer prosecutor’s questions when needed. Prosecutors are also allowed to search the former interior minister’s home with the proper court warrant.
Serious Crimes Prosecutors have charged Tahiri with trafficking of narcotics perpetrated in collusion as part of a structured criminal group, and with passive corruption as a state official. He may spend up to 20 years in prison should he be found guilty of these charges.
In a brief statement ahead of the vote, Tahiri told parliament he was ready to accept any decision parliament took. He has protested his innocence throughout the parliamentary hearings about this affair.
Albanian prosecutors have charged Tahiri in connection to alleged ties with a trafficking of narcotics structured criminal group – the Habilaj gang. He also faces passive corruption of state officials charges. If tried and found guilty, the charges could lead to a 20-year prison sentence.
Tahiri’s name came up win wiretaps of the gang as taking money for election campaign. He also sold his personal vehicle to gang members, who are also distant cousins, according to prosecutors.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has said he wants to believe in Tahiri’s innocence and that he has seen no proof so far to warrant an arrest for the former interior minister. However he said parliament’s decision allows prosecutors to do their job, because it had lifted Tahiri’s immunity.
“It’s a shame to the people who have not understood what we are talking about here. The immunity of this MP has been removed. We are not talking about his immunity, but about his arrest. We are not protecting an MP, but law and justice,” Rama told journalists after the decision.
Opposition parties had demanded a full granting of prosecutors’ requests, including permission to arrest the MP.
Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha said he was ashamed to be part of a parliament that gets into the way of justice officials.
“This is the first time in the history of Albanian pluralism that the parliament rejects the prosecutors’ request to lift an MP’s immunity,” Basha said.
Monika Kryemadhi, the Leader of the third largest party in parliament, the Socialist Movement for Integration, said the ruling majority was catering the criminal networks.
“The country is now governed by the criminal gangs that also control the government,” Kryemadhi said.
The opposition MPs walked out of the plenary sitting as Prime Minister Edi Rama started his address to the parliament.
Rama said the opposition will keep paying for its use of crime and offensive language against the law enforcement in an effort to score political points.
“This is the bill you have to pay because you have treated Albanians as fools. Keep yelling with the name of Albania, but this people cannot be fooled any longer. Hate is taking the opposition down. My advice is to stop hating us, because the more they hate, they more they lose logic,” Rama said.
