Institutions dealing with money laundering and organized crime hold joint meeting to discuss new efforts.
TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, Aug. 3 – Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said this week there should be a better and more concerted effort among the country’s different institutions in the fight against money laundering.
Berisha says has there has been a considerable increase in the number of charges brought in cases of money laundering. He says that since 2007, at least 50 cases have been brought up for prosecution in connection with organized crime.
The prime minister urged the country’s institutions to better cooperate in fighting money laundering not only with the prosecution officials but also with other key institutions like the administration of taxes and customs.
Berisha made his comments during a meeting of an inter-institutional committee set up to fight against organized crime and trafficking.
Berisha also spoke about the fight against organized crime, which he said should be a particular target as part of the goal of visa-free travel for Albanians. Organized crime is why Albania continues to suffer unduly image problem in Europe, he says.
Speaking about visa-free travel, Berisha urged the intensification of a campaign to clarify to Albanians what that means, in order to avoid repeating what happened in Macedonia and Serbia, where ethnic Albanians sought asylum immediately after the visa waiver.
The visa waiver only means that citizens can move freely in the Schengen countries within a time frame of 90 days per year, and people should know that, he said.
