TIRANA, May 17 – The alleged existence of a wiretapping device has sparked strong political debates with the opposition accusing the government of placing public figures in the country under surveillance.
The device in question, an IMSI Catcher, is officially being used for the training of police officers, but there are suspicions it could have been secretly used for wiretapping heads of state institutions, political party leaders and journalists.
Opposition leader Lulzim Basha considered the presence of such a device “a state crime with the blessing of the Prime Minister” .
“Using unlawful equipment, police officials have unlawfully put under surveillance senior state officials, political leaders, ambassadors, media representatives, business people, bankers and citizens,” Basha said during a press conference on Monday.
President Bujar Nishani also claimed on Monday the device was used for wiretapping by stating that the existence of such equipment has posed a threat to national security and the integrity of institutions in the country. Nishani asked from the General Prosecutor’s Office a full investigation on how the appliance was brought in the country as well as the institutions which have been using it.
“It has now been confirmed by state institutions that this illegal and anti-constitutional mechanism exists and is operational. I call on the prosecution to fully investigate the procedures used for bringing this illegal device in Albania, which threatens the national security of the country,” said Nishani.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri denied accusations that the device might have been used by police to eavesdrop on politicians and other key figures.
“The State Police does not have, has never had and will never have a surveillance device, because the law doesn’t permit that,” Tahiri told the media.
Tahiri added that the device brought in Albania as part of a bilateral agreement with Italian police, and for which police are being accused of using it for spying activities, is used to train Albanian police officers and is impossible to use for eavesdropping.
The Interior Minister explained that the electronic device only identifies telephone numbers in a particular area and it cannot be used to intercept phone conversations.
President Nishani made a second appearance on Tuesday in which he accused the government of “manipulating public opinion by linking the bilateral cooperation with Italian authorities with illegal activities of certain segments of the Interior Ministry”.
Nishani said that the government is hampering investigations launched by the prosecution office and called on the government to hand over the electronic device allegedly used for wiretapping.
The police training device, which allegedly has been used for wiretapping, was the object of a hearing of the Interior Minister, State Police chief, Prosecutor General, as well as the head of the Secret Services before the parliamentary committee on national security on Wednesday.
Testifying before the committee, Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri and State Police chief Haki Cako denied claims that the equipment has been used to intercept communications.
General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla told the committee that they had launched an investigation after receiving information from secret services about such a device and that the investigation will determine whether the equipment has been used in an unlawful way or not.
The head of Secret Services Visho Ajazi said that he had received information that the device had illegally entered Albania, information which he had transmitted to the General Prosecutor, but he had no information whether the device was used for wiretapping.
The surveillance issue was initially brought under public attention by former Prime Minister and Democratic Party chairman Sali Berisha who released a list of 375 personalities kept under surveillance for at least six months by the government, according to the latter.
The list included President Bujar Nishani, Speaker of Parliament Ilir Meta, opposition leader Lulzim Basha, the head of the Constitutional Court Bashkim Dede as well as that of the Supreme Court Xhezair Zaganjori among many others.
According to Berisha, several foreign diplomats were also placed under surveillance by Albanian police.
As part of the investigation, the prosecution office has also called in police officials to testify in connection with the wiretapping allegations.
Prosecutors have requested the sequestration of the device, and have sent a letter to the Italian Interforce mission, who owns the equipment, to demand detailed information.
A letter from the head of Italian police Alessandro Pansa addressed to General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla leaked to the media on Thursday stated that the device had not been used for wiretapping and it has always been in possession of the Italian party.
The letter reveals that the device was brought to Albania as part of a bilateral agreement signed in 2007, and that in the framework of the latter two Italian experts were sent to Albania on March 11, 2016 to train local police.
It remains unclear, however, why the Italian police chief evokes article 8 of the said agreement granting immunity to the Italians at the end of the letter, after confirming that the equipment has been used exclusively for training purposes.
Meanwhile, sources from the Prosecution Office confirm that investigations on the matter will continue in order to verify the wiretap claims.
