TIRANA, June 16 – Albania’s Court of Appeal overruled a previous court order for the suspension of the General Director of State Police Haki Cako. Judges Marie Qiriazi, Fiqirete Mullaj and Ervin Metalla issued the verdict Thursday at noon. The ruling means that Cako will be reinstated in office although the prosecutors are investigating him and two other officials over the alleged use of IMS Catcher device allegedly used for wiretapping purposes.
“There is no reasonable doubt on the fact that the Police Director did not put his hands into the device which was under the administration of the Interforce. Italian authorities also informed the court that the device belonged and was administered by the Italian police. We made a similar claim to the court,” Cako’s attorney Maks Haxhiaj told Tirana Times. Prosecutors are yet to decide if they will appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court while Cako has strongly refused all claims that the device in question was used to eavesdrop on high rank officials, ambassadors and reporters.
The Court of Appeal did not amend the ruling on the chairman of Operational Forces Artion Duka and officer Entiol Xhelilaj who are being held in house arrest over the wiretapping scandal. Cako and the other two officials faced several charges on abuse of power which forced the First Instance Court judge Arjan Aliaj to approve their dismissal and arrest orders which sparked a heated political tension and a chain of accusations between the ruling majority and the opposition. The latter accused the government of trying to capture the system and put pressure on judges and prosecutors whereas the ruling majority said that the prosecution is preventing the justice reform.
On Thursday, Minister of Interior Affairs Saimir Tahiri expressed his full support for the police commissioner saying that he was “wrongfully suspended.” Minister Tahiri said that the path to reform the justice reform has just begun. Tahiri said he was faithful that the “government is in the right path to reform police as well as fight crime and corruption.” Tahiri also responded to accusations delivered by the Democratic Party on the alleged pressure on the justice system. The interior minister said that the opposition’s accusations are not something new and that “their actions convinces the government of being in the right path and working harder to guarantee standards”
Police probe judge’s wealth
Albania’s State Police has launched an investigation into the wealth of judge Arjan Aliaj on the suspicion that he has failed to disclose his wealth and assets, carried out fiscal evasion, money laundering and corruption. Sources from State Police said that the investigation began based on the wealth declarations of the judge but was also based on dozens of complaints and accusations by citizens. Police officials said that the judge has conducted some suspicious transfers of property title of his three story villa which first belonged to his brother, then to his sister and then to his spouse. Police are reviewing the sale contract of the villa not only due to the rather cheap sale price of 100.000 Lek but also because the judge’s sister Etleva Galanxhi changed her father’s name from Cerciz to Cezar. Galanxhi is the wife of Gilbert Galanxhi who until sometime ago was chief of cabinet at the General Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation against judge Arjan Aliaj comes at a time when he faces some serious accusations from Minister of Interior Affairs Saimir Tahiri who claimed that Aliaj has freed murderers, rapists and criminals.
Earlier this month, judge Aliaj approved a decision to suspend director of state police Haki Cako from his duty over the wiretapping allegations. The president and opposition accused the state police of having an electronic equipment that was being used for wiretapping. Police admitted that the device existed but it was not used for wiretapping rather than for identifying telephone numbers used in a given area.
According to police, this device was given to them by Italian police as part of a joint training. The opposition however insisted that the device was being used in collaboration with the Interior and reporters were being wiretapped. The judge’s decision to suspend Cako came as a surprise.
According to the prosecution Cako was lying about the device installed at police headquarters and that there were sufficient grounds for the opposition’s allegations. “The investigation revealed that cellular devices might have been illegally intercepted by an ‘IMSI-catcher device. As a suspect, Cako has denied the fact that the device could have been used for illegal wiretapping, although there is some investigative data that has created the suspicion that the Cako has abused his power,” the general prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Judge Aliaj came under heavy critics from Prime Minister Edi Rama who claimed that Aliaj was making a political decision to the benefit of the opposition. “Aliaj is serving those who don’t want the judicial reform to be approved since the opposition want to use justice for their own interests,” Rama said on his Facebook page.
Rama’s allegations were backed up by Interior minister Saimir Tahiri who insisted that the decision by prosecutors and judge Arjan Aliaj was politically motivated. The Democratic Party accused the government of putting an unprecedented and criminal pressure on judicial institutions to save the police director.
