TIRANA, Jan. 18 – Albania’s ruling Socialist Party has presented to Speaker Gramoz Ruà§i a proposal to change parliamentary rules to make it harder for prosecutors to seek the assembly’s permission to arrest lawmakers suspected or crimes.
According to the current regulation, the prosecution only needs to hand the parliament a request and the accompanying documentation to detain or arrest an MP.
In the new Socialist Party proposal, however, the term “evidence” is brought into play. According to the amendments, the prosecution will now have to hand to the parliament evidence explaining the arrest along with the documentation.
The evidence debate happened as a result of the controversy that followed former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri’s case.
When news broke out about Tahiri’s alleged cooperation with the Habilaj brothers, who led an international marijuana trafficking gang, the country’s opposition claimed he should be immediately arrested, while the Socialists said the prosecution should hand the parliament evidence that proves Tahiri’s guilt.
The opposition said the parliament is not a court, and should therefore not require evidence to allow an MP to be questioned and/or arrested.
Among the Socialist amendments to the regulation is also giving MPs the right to ask the prosecution questions during arrest request evaluations and offer their explanations.
The proposals also reduce the parliamentary council’s time to draft and present a report on the regulation, mandates and immunity of an MP.
Last but not least, the proposal foresees the opportunity to debate the parliamentary council’s report as opposed to the current situation, in which the report isn’t a point of debate. It has been also proposed that the currently hidden vote be made open.
Though changes in parliamentary regulation usually require a consensus in parliament, technically the SP already has the 71 votes it needs to pass its proposal.
