Malaj: Berisha to court
PD chairman: The Otranto victims were drowned by Malaj, Brokaj and Gjinushi
“You don’t play with the dead. Now the law will act”
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Some Ngjela before the law
BY ARBEN HASANI
Lost among documents and mundane invoices, the noise of cars and the smell of sweat, without managing to show what was expected of her, in the undersecretary’s office of Interior Minister Ilirjan Musli, more than the gun, Mēs. Dn[?] sits with one ear toward the corridor to hear the latest after the phone calls and the other toward the secretary’s screech to decide whether or not to usher into the antechamber, for example, the head of SHIK N. Klosi, and the other with the “7s” leaflet and 2,000 opposition supporters [sic] and yellowed files and dealings with the state, or the emigrants’ petitions or the will or the property split or the complaint or even…
At least that is how it was savored, while with a half-smile she opened the door to say, “The gentleman is waiting for you.” When we entered, Finance Minister Arben Malaj was calm and seated in front of a conference table with a written statement. With his jacket unbuttoned, leaning back in the chair and moving a pencil between his fingers, Malaj began speaking without formalities. After the conversation with our correspondent, he declared that he will file a defamation lawsuit against PD chairman Sali Berisha. The reason is the latest accusations he made against the government, holding it responsible for the Otranto tragedy.
The accusations he made before the public and the nation are not only monstrous. According to the minister, they are the slanders of a man trying to manipulate public opinion and escape responsibility for the many distortions that power of his caused. Calling the rulings of the German, Italian and Albanian courts on the sinking of the Otranto a “US provocation,” he has launched a new political and moral adventure that can no longer go unpunished.
“Since 12 March 1997, the sequence of events and documents shows that today’s government bears no blame in the Otranto tragedy. The sinking of the ship ‘Kateri i Radës’ and the death of innocent people is a grave event that cannot be used as a political weapon. To say that the victims were drowned by Malaj, Brokaj and Gjinushi is not only a lie, but an act that runs counter to every human and legal norm,” he said.
In his view, Berisha has crossed every human and political boundary. “He can rant here as he wishes, but in doing so he can destroy families, play with pain, create division and incite hatred. You don’t play with the dead. Now the law must act.”
After that, the minister explained that all the necessary documentation for the court case has been gathered by structures within his ministry. “Every statement made by Mr. Berisha has been documented. This includes his interviews with foreign media, press conferences, public statements and written texts. The time has come for slander to pay a price.”
He refused to comment further on political matters, but implied that in the coming days there will be other developments, including new complaints against former top state officials.
Photo BLEND SOTA