Corruption bursts out
The Prosecutor's Office erupts in anger: Here are the data and the people implicated
Corruption bursts out
Albania, records in Europe for economic crime
Page 47
Unpunished crime
BY BLENDI FEVZIU
One year after the change in power, Nano's government has at least fulfilled the old proverb of people in the courts and in the prosecutor's office: in Albania, the law rules. The government’s weak point is undeniably the fight against indifference. Citizens have become increasingly distrustful because of numerous denunciations of corruption in the administration and among the state's highest officials themselves. With the “Mollë[?]” and “Afer[?]” scandals, the government remains convinced that corruption is greater than ever.
Outside the logic of official statements, denunciations, as well as direct confrontation with all the other levels, are commonplace. Even more, this phenomenon has reached its peak from the most important positions in Albanian politics and state institutions. Is corruption a disease of Albania or a disease in Europe that requires serious action? The Minister of the Interior, Arben Malaj[?], is convinced that it is. For the first time since his arrival in power, the prosecutor's office has also drawn up a clear assessment of the government and its ministers. In this chaos of accusations, what stands out is that in Tirana, Korfuzion[?] of dragging things out and of blatant bias extends even to the opposition prefects. In yesterday's statements, Chief Prosecutor Theodhori Sollaku[?] and his deputy, Sokol Koçiu[?], named one by one the ministers and prefects who have ignored, with silence or indifference, issues such as smuggling, as well as the Minister of the Interior, the deputy minister, the Minister of Finance or of Development, etc.
In this picture, beyond the high-ranking officials by first and last name, a clear question has also been raised: Who is profiting from corruption and who is protecting these interests? What risks does a state built on clientelism pose? The answers to this question are now, in particular, coming from several institutions. In the special report of this issue[?] published in the skypi[?], for the first time a major link in Albanian corruption comes to light, as well as the case involving people in the highest positions of the administration.
The government? The link between smuggling and corruption has unfortunately become the norm in Albania. With testimony, confirmations, and reports coming from the Prosecutor's Office, it seems we are dealing with a system that protects the interests of the powerful rather than the law.
Water splashed[?] at the weapons market in a village in Tropoja
The smuggling will be subject to parliamentary debate