Case of Albanian businessman turned local politician wanted by Italy for drug-trafficking highlights the blurry line between people with shady backgrounds and Albanian politics.
Tirana Times
Tirana, April 12 – The arrest this week of Fatmir Kajolli, an Albanian businessman and local legislator, has set a firestorm of debate in Albania over how a fugitive sentenced twice by Italian courts on drug-trafficking charges could live openly for a decade and build a public profile as a businessman, local politician and political insider.
Kajolli, a Republican Party and governing coalition elected official, was arrested on an international warrant this week and is scheduled to serve up to 40 years in prison Italy, pending appeals. The member of the legislative council in the western city ofFier was also a key supporter of the ruling coalition in the area, and, as a business owner, he had been able to get at least one publicly-funded project to manage, according the local media.
Kajolli’s arrest 10 years after Italian authorities issued a warrant and his businessman-turned-politician status highlights the blurry line between people with shady backgrounds and Albanian politics. The lengthy period of inaction by the authorities as well as the silence on the matter by the opposition are a worrying sign about Albanian politics and governance, independent analysts note.
Convicted in Italy, successful businessman and politician in Albania
Kajolli, 47, was convicted in 2002 by a Milan court to 16 years in prison on charges of drug-trafficking in association with other accomplices, some of whom are now in prison. That was followed by a similar 24-year prison sentence by another court in Rome.
Kajolli has been living openly in Albania despite the conviction and the Italian extradition warrant on him. During that time he built a business and became well known in Fier, where representing the Republican Party he campaigned extensively for the ruling coalition, according to the local media.
He was mentioned by name in a scathing report by former U.S. ambassador John Withers, revealed by the now notoriously leaked cables, and aptly titled “Law breakers turned into law makers.” The report mentions Kajolli for ties to two then cabinet ministers and supporting the ruling coalitions efforts to get votes in the Fier region. Circumstantial evidence links Kajolli and the two ministers “in a scheme to release prisoners from jails to act as electoral bullies,” notes the report.
It appears Kajolli was also trying to appeal his conviction during his time in Albania. He had argued his conviction for complicity in drug trafficking should be tossed because his lawyer had not provided translate copies of the court materials, impeding his defense. Kajolli had also made an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to have his conviction overturned, however, in April 2008, the court dismissed the appeal and upheld the Italian courts’ decisions, according to the local media.
A local newspaper points out to the good image the businessman has in the community he serves in the council, and that Kajolli had build social engagement primarily through his involvement in the Apolonia Sports Club, once one of Albania’s top football clubs, where he served as president for several years. “He was well known as a sponsor of sports activities,” the newspaper writes. It should also be noted that sports club presidents in Albania and the Balkans have often had problems with the law in the past.
Questions over why it took so long for authorities to act
Kajolli’s arrest has created much controversy in Albania related to how someone with such a high profile could have gone under the radar of Albanian authorities for so long.
Interior Minister Bujar Nishani told the local media the arrest was triggered by an extradition agreement with Italy that became valid in September 2011. He said it was part of a series of arrests Albanian authorities were performing for people wanted in the neighboring country. Under an extradition treaty between Albania and Italy, 30 suspects have reportedly been arrested, mostly on drug-trafficking charges.
“You know that we have not extradited any Albanian citizen without an extradition treaty with Italy, which was signed only recently. Immediately after the entry into force, the Italian authorities sent a list Šfor arrests and the start of the extradition processes,” Nishani said.
Albania’s police and prosecution have also been passing the blame among themselves for not acting sooner. But even if the extradition treaty was what was holding the process back, critics argue, it can not explain why it took seven months for authorities to arrest the wanted politician.
Meanwhile, two days after the arrest, a Fier court decided Kajolli could leave jail and be held under house arrest while the Albanian courts look over extradition request by Italy.
At the same hearing prosecutors presented the judges with the international arrest warrant for Kajolli. The prosecutors asked the court that due to the significant prison time Kajolli faced he should stay in jail while process is ongoing. The court disagreed, opting for house arrest instead.
Albania is no stranger to extradition proceedings, both in- and out-bound. They often involve Albanians involved with criminal activities at home or abroad. Just this week another high profile arrest happened in London. On Wednesday,a British court put Ndricim Sadushi, 41, under arrest after an arrest warrant from Tirana authorities. He was arrested in London following 15 years on the run. He is alleged to have been involved in the killing of three people and the attempted murder of a fourth in Albania in 1997.Authoritiesin Italy also accuse Sadushi of money-laundering and drug-trafficking.
Opposition silent on Kajolli case
The opposition has largely been silent on Kajolli’s case which independent observers find somewhat surprising judging by the fact that the arrested man, sentenced for drug-trafficking, was a member of the ruling coalition.
“It could be that the opposition has its own skeletons in the closets, and are disinterested in focusing on this cases,” says one local analyst.
Opposition in hot water over High Council of Justice candidate
But Kajolli’s case also comes as parliament was debatingthe candidates for the post of the deputy headof the High Council of Justice. Parliament is looking into two candidates proposed by the governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the main opposition Socialist Party of Edi Rama.
The opposition’s candidate, lawyer Ardian Visha, came as a surprise to many because Visha was the defense attorney of Fatmir Mediu, former defense minister and now environment minister who was accused for being partly responsible for the deaths of 26peopleat the 2008 Gerdec explosion.
The decision by Socialiststo propose Visha appears to run contrary to their continuous accusation against Mediu, who, as head of the Republican Party, is also tied to Kajolli. Local media say there are strong and close ties between Kajolli and Mediu, something the Republican leader says is not true.
Arguments over lawyer choice
Visha defended Mediu as a private-practice lawyer, but due to the nature of attorney-client relations in Albania, the Socialists should not have selected Visha as their candidate for one of the most important posts in the Albanian judiciary, critics argue.
Justice has beenAlbania’s Achilles’ heel in the last two decades. Its corruption, lack of efficiency or proficiency isalways one of the main topics in the international reports on the country. Getting justice on democratic standards is a main issue which Albania should fulfill along its integration efforts into the European Union.
“If Visha is what the opposition refers to as the Albanian Rebirth, of which Rama speaks so often, then the baby has been born dead,” says one independent analyst of the Socialist’s choice, referring to their most recent slogan.
