The Serious Crimes Court yesterday afternoon issued the "Home Arrest" measure for former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri. The Prosecution in turn had demanded "Arrest with jail. Prosecution accuses him of committing the criminal offenses "Narcotics Trafficking" in collaboration, in the form of a structured criminal group and, "Passive Corruption of High State Officials or Local Officials".
Prosecution's request came a week after Mr. Tahiri handed over the mandate of the deputy. The former minister was near his apartment with his defense lawyer at the time the decision was made on the prosecution's request. He climbed into the apartment shortly before two prosecutors arrived to inform him of the arrest warrant at home.
The former Interior Minister was charged with charges last October, for allegations that he had links to a group of brothers Habilaj, his cousins, who were part of an Italian-Albanian organization that trafficked marijuana from Albania to Italy. The investigations started after the Italian authorities hit this organization in Catania, while in the interceptions carried out, his name was mentioned several times in conversations among traffickers.The prosecution requested the arrest of Mr. Tahiri, but the left majority rejected the claim by claiming that the Prosecution had not submitted any evidence. The attitude of the majority and especially of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who had always come to his side, even when during 2016 the phenomenon of cultivating the marijuana took a massive spread, Rama was widely seen as a defense offered to the former minister. The opposition turned this issue into a "horse" of its political battle, making strong accusations. Even his decision to give up the deputy mandate, is considered by the Opposition as "a political maneuver, part of a Tahiri-Rama pact to deceive international partners," while according to the Opposition, "the prosecution is under the control of the prime minister".
Even in today's reaction to the Court's decision, Democratic leader Lulzim Basha said that "Saimir Tahiri's house arrest is not a decision of justice, but Edi Rama's political decision. This is the controlled handover that we just announced three days ago, part of Rama-Tahiri mafia pact. Saimir Tahiri should be in the cell today, not in house arrest. The house arrest for Saimir Tahiri is Edi Rama's next fraud against Albanians and international partners. This is also a proof that illegal moves in the prosecutor's office are aimed at closing the Tahiri's file. Tahiri is not imprisoned or punished because Rama protects him. Because Tahiri and Rama are one. "
As for Monica Kryemadhi, leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration, "the justice has already died completely to leave the country facing gangs and clashes in the SP. The injustice is now facing the people, because justice has remained hostage in the hands of Edi Rama and his gang," Mrs. Kryemadhi wrote in a Facebook post.
For his part, Prime Minister Edi Rama, who was the first to react, "today's decision for Saimir Tahiri is not commented, is simply respected as a right of justice bodies that owe the country and the world an independent, transparent process with full constitutional and professional integrity, guaranteeing justice outside any political, media or diplomatic influence. "
The US Embassy also pronounced last night stating that "The court's decision to deploy Saimir Tahiri in house arrest is a sign that this important corruption issue will be decided fairly and transparently in the courts." She also commented on the current blow to a powerful international drug trafficking group, as well as about a few days ago in Germany the arrest of the company's owner who had commissioned a banana load of 613 kilograms of cocaine in March. "The arrest of Met Kanani in Turkey and the 14 members of his criminal gang in Albania is a sign of the seriousness of the police and prosecutors to target organized crime. Finally, the arrest of the suspected cocaine trafficker Arbër Çekaj in Germany and the request for his extradition to Albania is a sign that impunity has come to an end for crime bosses in this country. We praise the hard and courageous work of the State Police, Serious Crimes Prosecutors and Serious Crimes Judges," concludes the statement of the US Embassy.