FLASH
Shkruar nga Mero Baze
Before the January 21 trial where he is accused of murdering citizens or the still unsolved history of Gërdec, this is a coffee shop trial for him.
The first trial against Sali Berisha begins on Monday, on charges that are essentially state capture. The charges raise suspicions that he used his power to restitute a property through dubious procedures in favor of his son-in-law and five other former owners, but that at the end of this process, the son-in-law – a minor member of the co-owners – emerged as the main shareholder, benefiting from the state favors of his father-in-law, the prime minister, which have translated into financial income.
So, the essence of the accusation is that his son-in-law used favors granted by his father-in-law, the prime minister, to benefit from the property restitution process, which in turn is under investigation for whether it was once resold by the owners to the government during the Italian occupation or not.
This is the first trial of a high-profile former official on charges of state capture, and beyond Sali Berisha's fate, it is of little importance, as it should set a standard of judgment for every future prime minister and every high-ranking official who uses his state position for family honor.
Equally similar is the case when Sali Berisha's daughter, a lawyer, demanded 3 percent of the investment value from her clients if they completed the files with permits approved by her father, as was the case with the 100 million euro TEC project in Durres. From the emails exchanged between her and the Swedish businessman, it appeared that she was entitled to 3 million euros if she handed over the complete permit signed by her father.
This is one of the major reasons why the US has included Sali Berisha's children on the blacklist, as they have been involved in major corruption, using their father's power, as the State Department defines in the justification for the "non grata" declaration.
For Sali Berisha, this is not the most important trial of his political life. For him, this is probably the easiest and most incomprehensible, because in his clan mentality it is still unbelievable how you can judge him for helping his daughter and son.
Before the January 21 trial where he is accused of murdering citizens or the still unsolved history of Gërdec, this is a coffee shop trial for him.
But more than for him, this trial is important for the standards that justice should set in the Albanian state regarding the role of the omnipotent in the fate of those close to him in the misuse of power.
Therefore, it is very important that the trial is fair and the final decision is reasoned and based on facts and not simply on the general popular perception that we have of Sali Berisha as a lawbreaker. It may be worse than we think, but that is for the court to decide.
Sali Berisha would be happy to be convicted by this trial and for the history of his trials to end there, because for him this is a matter of his family's power, which he cannot separate from his political power. A man who has privatized the party, with equal ease had privatized the Albanian state. Therefore, this trial should condemn precisely this mentality of those in power in Albania who call the state private property and privileges for family members an inviolable right.
This trial is more important for the state than for Sali Berisha. For Sali Berisha personally, the trials where he has blood on his hands and his face with the gunpowder flame of his son as a businessman of death are worth it. This one is simply worth showing that from the first day of coming to power, he had in mind how to make his family millionaires. And in this case, he has managed to build a full 19 towers on the properties of a sports club.
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