Opposition demands interior minister’s resignation over new wiretapping
On Monday, the country’s opposition demanded Albania’s Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj resigns after publishing what they alleged were wiretaps showing Xhafaj’s brother, Agron Xhafaj, continued to be involved in drug trafficking in Vlora despite saying his criminal activity ended in 2002.
During a press conference, three Democratic Party lawmakers — Enkelejd Alibeaj, Ervin Salianji and Gazmend Bardhi — published a wiretap recording where who they claimed is F. Xhafaj’s brother can be heard arranging delivery of a drug shipment for a former collaborator in need of money.
In the recorded conversation, Agron Xhafaj tells his collaborator not to bother him often, as both him and his brother “are being attacked.”
In this context, Bardhi alleged again that Xhafaj has used the state police to support his brother’s drug trafficking in addition to last week’s claims saying he also helped him skip his prison sentence in Italy by interfering with the penal law.
In the wake of this recording, Agron Xhafaj sued the DP lawmakers for false denunciation.
According to him, the DP wiretap is “fake, consumed through concoctions and evidence manipulation.”
The DP said the wiretap was recorded in an ambiental environment, however its source was not made public on Monday. In a later media interview, the DP lawmakers said the wiretap was recorded during Xhafaj’s time as minister of interior.
Socialist Party representatives gave statements after the wiretaps went public, asking the prosecution to investigate and punish the accused based on evidence.
“The DP claims the material is authentic and, if this is true, then we are talking of evidence implicating the minister of interior and his brother. But is this evidence or a show aimed to throw dirty on anyone standing in its way? The prosecution can answer this. In accordance with the law, those in possession of this material that is neither proved or authentic, should submit it to the prosecution,” Taulant Balla, SP lawmaker, said.
Agron Xhafaj, MoI’s brother, declares readiness to surrender to Italian authorities
Agron Xhafaj declared in an open letter his readiness to hand himself in to Italian authorities and carry out the sentence he received by the Italian court in 2002 on Wednesday.
With this decision, A. Xhafaj allows Albanian police – run by his brother – to arrest him.
After posting the letter directed to the public opinion, local media reported A. Xhafaj turned himself to the authorities in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, yet in order for his extradition to happen Italian authorities need to file an official extradition request to Albanian authorities, meaning A. Xhafaj is still in Albania.
In his letter, A. Xhafaj wrote that despite the mistakes he made in his youth, the political and public pressure exercised towards his family and brother, who is currently the country’s interior minister, made him realize the only way to act was by repaying his mistakes according to the law.
“I have decided to address Italian justice authorities personally to undergo the criminal charges they placed on me,” A. Xhafaj wrote.
According to him, the Italian authorities never showed interest in executing the charges, despite him having done all legal efforts for a proper trial in Italy to take place.
“Today I am 43 years old; since 2002 until now I haven’t acted or behaved in any way that goes against laws and morals. For a long time, my attention and energy have been focused on my family,” he wrote.
Despite his claims of surrender, it remains Italy’s duty to present Albania with a formal request for Xhafaj’s extradition, as it did for all other gang members Xhafaj was affiliated with.
Also addressing the recent wiretaps published by the country’s Democratic Party opposition, claiming A. Xhafaj is trafficking drugs from Vlore to Italy to this day, Xhafaj highlighted he has sued the DP for lying and has taken all legal measures to prove the wiretaps are fake.
“Meanwhile I have declared and given legal explanations that the published audio, including the sound effects and images, is fake and was made public in the media to blackmail and pressure me and my brother, the minister of interior,” A. Xhafaj’s letter concludes.
In the Socialist Party parliamentary group meeting gathered on Wednesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama called the published wiretaps slander, but in addition said they would be investigated by scientific international expertise.
“There is no compromising evidence, only fraud through an inauthentic material aimed to destabilize and hinder negotiations. There is no indication the minister’s brother is involved in illegal activities so I think the minister should continue,” Rama said.
EU Ambassador defends MoI, says Article 491 complies with EU standards
The EU Delegation to Albania was consulted by local media regarding the alleged last-minute penal code changes made by Xhafaj to protect his brother from possible extradition and punishment to Italy.
The EU Ambassador Romana Vlahutin told the Voice of America the amendment of Article 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code is in compliance to European standards.
“Article 461/f of the Criminal Procedure Code provides that when a person has been tried and convicted in absentia, they are allowed a review of the case by the Court, in their presence,” Vlahutin told VoA.
The European standards mentioned are defined by the European Court of Human Rights, the European Convention on Extradition and the European Arrest Warrant framework decision.
She added that several versions of the articles were reviewed by the working group including the European group Euralius, until the final amendments were approved on March 30 of last year.
“The core of all these versions remained unchanged during the discussions, the final version of article 491/f included,” she concluded.
However, media critical to the government pointed out that even if the law amendment is compliant with European standards, the procedure through the amendment was approved was unlawful.
According to those explanations, the CPC Article 461 changed somewhere in the report signed by Xhafaj and unilaterally approved by the Socialist parliamentary majority from “a procedure that allows a foreign verdict to be recognized in Albania if an Albanian citizen refuses to be extradited” to one that demands from a foreign state to provide safeguards “as a condition for the extradition of an Albanian national tried in absentia.”
Xhafaj: I am being blackmailed by criminal interests
After a week’s absence, Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj gave a media statement on Wednesday evening, saying he was not there to clarify his accusers, but rather address the public and his international friends.
“Agron did not hide from the investigation, but has requested to participate in the issue. The final verdict has been in power for years, none of my actions have created immunity, or favors towards his penal punishment,” Xhafaj said.
He added that A. Xhafaj’s decision to surrender to authorities did not give him the opportunity to test his position as the country’s MoI.
“I did not push him to do this, but he did not give me the chance to try out Fatmir Xhafaj as minister of interior if his extradition would ever be requested,” he concluded.
PM says MoI has no moral or legal obligation to resign, despite experts disagreement
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama defended Minister of Interior Fatmir Xhafaj legally and morally at Wednesday’s Socialist Party parliamentary group meeting, saying he does not need to resign over his brother’s past and allegedly recent criminal ties.
In his speech, Rama said Xhafaj has no legal or moral responsibility to account for.
“I have sought the legal expertise of specialized international agencies and have mobilized the appropriate structures in order to obtain any evidence regarding the interior minister’s brother,” Rama said.
According to Rama, the lack of an extradition request from Italian authorities made it impossible for Albania to act, despite the opposition’s claims that Xhafaj himself intervened in the penal code to help his brother, calling them “blabbering.”
Regarding the wiretaps the DP released alleging Agron Xhafaj continues drug trafficking from Vlora, where he lives, to this day, Rama said the opposition is trying to destabilize Albania through fabrications.
“It is an evident destabilizing masquerade orchestrated to tell Europe that this is a country in which the Ministry of Interior Affairs is the head of drug trafficking organizations,” he added.
Analysts, on the other hand, have said that Xhafaj’s moral, if not legal, integrity has now been violated.
According to political experts, at a time the country is depending on its fight against corruption and organized crime led by the Minister of Interior, there is a clear case of moral implications, in addition to Xhafaj’s conflict of interest in his duty as MoI, that need to be taken into consideration.
Others raised the question of whether Xhafaj would be able to arrest his brother in light of this scandal if necessary, highlighting the legal implications of both the conflict of interest and the anti-mafia law, which experts have claimed would have Xhafaj arrested in different circumstances.
Opposition makes wiretap witness public, releasing video-testimony
After calling an extraordinary conference, Basha said both PM Rama and F. Xhafaj knew who the witness heard conversing with A. Xhafaj in the published wiretaps was, and that they did everything in their power to compromise him before he could give a “shocking testimony.”
The DP proceeded to publish a video clearly showing the witness’ face, who we now know is 51-year-old Albert Veliu.
“I have been in Italy, my whole life I have worked at the sea, from ‘93 until ‘99 and in 2000 I was in Italy with Agron Xhafaj’s group, until 2002. I sold cocaine in Italy,” Veliu’s testimony began.
He continued saying that due to an “accident” in 2005, he had to undergo a seven-year punishment as he was caught with 12 kg of cocaine.
“I was arrested in Pescara and did my sentence. I resented Agron. During the time we worked together he didn’t even bring me a piece of paper as a friend. When I left prison I come to Albania, I meet him, he pretended to make me a favor by offering me a job for my son as a waiter. My son is only 22 years old,” Veliu can be heard saying.
He added his son had already been threatened 30 mins after the wiretaps were published, although he claims being unaware of who published the wiretaps.
