FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Assembly decided to remove Berisha's immunity after a chaotic session with 75 votes in favor.
The removal of the immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has received the attention of the international media.
The Washington Post has devoted an article to him, which writes that "The Parliament of Albania voted on Thursday to remove the legal immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is accused of corruption."
As it refers to today's parliamentary session, the American daily writes further that "opposition MPs inside the hall boycotted the vote and tried to disrupt the session by collecting chairs and throwing fireworks, but the security guards stopped them. Berisha refused to take the floor to speak against the motion.
The ruling Socialist Party holds 74 of the 140 seats in Albania's national legislature, and 75 lawmakers agreed to comply with a request by prosecutors to strip Berisha of his parliamentary immunity. Thursday's vote leaves prosecutors to seek a court's permission to put Berisha under arrest or house arrest.
With the refusal of participation by the opposition, the American newspaper writes that "there was no vote against the measure or no abstention".
Berisha, 79, was charged with corruption in October after allegedly abusing his position to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, buy land in Tirana owned by private citizens and the defense ministry and build a complex of 17 buildings.
Berisha and Malltezi have both pleaded not guilty, claiming that the case was a political move by the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Prosecutors have said that if Berisha is found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in prison.
Berisha served as prime minister of Albania from 2005-2013 and as president from 1992-1997. He was re-elected deputy of the Democratic Party in the parliamentary elections of 2021
The United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 banned Berisha and close family members from entering their countries due to suspected involvement in corruption.
Since Berisha was indicted in October, opposition lawmakers have regularly disrupted parliament sessions to protest the Socialists' refusal to set up commissions to investigate alleged corruption cases involving Rama and other senior government officials.
The interruptions are an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to begin the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU, as part of the Balkan country's path to full membership in the bloc," writes Washington. Post.
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