Tema newspaper closes down

TIRANA, Jan. 25 – Albanian newspaper Tema reported last weekend it was closing down due to the political interference from the government.
The same day the Finance Ministry came out with a statement saying that the newspaper had not paid the proper taxation.
Tema’s head journalist and owner Mero Baze has been in open conflict with the government and Prime Minister Sali Berisha accusing him of corruptive policies.
Last November Baze was beaten by a businessman whom he had repeatedly accused of failing to pay adequate taxes following his company’s purchase last year of an 85-percent stake in the former state oil company ARMO.
In January last year, the government evicted Baze’s newspaper from its offices, saying it wanted to use the facility as a passport office.
And some time earlier Baze’s car was also burnt close to his apartment.
Baze, a former close aide of premier Berisha, has turned into his harshest critic.