TIRANA, March 13 – Albania’s General Prosecutor has called on the Central Election Commission to strip two mayors of their mandates due to failure to disclose all criminal records as prescribed by Albania’s decriminalization law.
Chief prosecutor Adriatik Llalla said the request to release from duty for the Mayor of Polià§an Municipality, Artur Zotkaj, and the Mayor of Tepelena, Tà«rmet Peà§i, is based on their decriminalization declarations.
Llalla said that the two local government officials lied about their past and concealed criminal records that would prohibit them from exercising public duty. In addition, the General Prosecutor’s office has launched penal proceedings against Zotkaj and Peà§i over forgery of documents.
According to prosecutors, Mayor of Tepelena was convicted in 2004 for forgery of documents. While Peà§i said he did not remember the conviction, a court verdict reveals that the official pleaded guilty and even showed remorse for his actions.
Furthermore, prosecutors are investigating on allegations that Mayor of Polià§an, Adriatik Zotkaj, is part of a drug trafficking group.
His declaration form submitted to the Central Election Commission includes three convictions such as: a three year sentence for violation of traffic regulations, 10 month jail sentence for resisting arrest and a one year jail sentence for an undisclosed criminal act.
Both mayors are members of the Socialist-led ruling coalition, which has come under fire by the Democratic Party and the rest of the opposition for relying on criminals to win elections.
Last December, the state election body removed the mandates of MPs Dashamir Tahiri and Shkà«lqim Selami and mayor of Kavaja, Elvis Rroshi due to their criminal pasts.
Prosecutors said that the three had been convicted of money laundering, distribution of drugs and human trafficking.
The three officials denied the accusations and decided to appeal their case in court.
Earlier in March, the Constitutional Court rejected the appeal of former Mayor of Kavaja, to revoke the government’s decision to dismiss him, following a ruling by the Central Election Commission regarding his mandate which led to an official dismissal from duty.
The by-election for the city of Kavaja will take place earlier than the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 18, 2017.
