Prosecutor office closes investigation of former ambassador to the U.S.

TIRANA, Sept. 26 – Tirana prosecutor office said Tuesday they had completed the investigation of abuse against former ambassador to the United States Fatos Tarifa. He was ambassador to Washington 2001-2005. tarifa is accused of abuse with public funds in the reconstruction of the building where the embassy was sheltered and also for the financial abuse in buying cars and repairing them. Prosecutor office said they had resulted that such expenditure were not documented. The amount he is accused of is some $100,000. tarifa was sued at the prosecutor office from the High State Control.
President Alfred Moisiu had fired him from the post after a report alleging he sought a bribe in return for a contract to reconstruct the embassy building in Washington. Local newspapers reported that Tarifa had asked a businessman to pay US$3,500 for his son’s schooling in Netherlands to secure the building tender. Tarifa denied the report, which cited the Albanian accounting office as its source. He has refused, however, to come to the Albanian capital when called by authorities to answer questions. Tarifa previously served as ambassador to Netherlands.