TIRANA, Nov. 20 – President Bamir Topi decreed the approval of the resignation of the old Justice Minister Ilir Rusmajli and the nomination of the new minister Enkelejd Alibeaj.
The move was later approved with the vote by the Albanian parliament Tuesday evening.
Last week Rusmajli resigned following allegations of corruption by the country’s prison service head a day earlier.
Rusmajli, who had been in the post since April, denied any corruptive act taken by him but said he was leaving the post to facilitate a judicial investigation into the allegations.
A day earlier head of Albania’s prison service Saimir Shehri said that Rusmajli was promoting his brother’s construction company for a bid to build a new detention facility in the Albanian city of Durres.
A day later Prime Minister Sali Berisha nominated his aide Enkelejd Alibeaj in the post of the minister.
Albania’s judiciary has been rattled by recent allegations of corruption, including claims that convicted criminals had secured illegal early release from prison.
Earlier this month, parliament voted to oust the country’s top prosecutor for allegedly failing to fight organized crime gangs. In efforts to fight corruption more than two dozen senior officials of the executive have been arrested in the last three months on charges of corruption and abuse of post.
