BIRN: After the Sajmir Tahiri Case, the Socialist Party Again Forms a Barricade to Politically Protect Belinda Balluku

The Socialist parliamentary group decided on Monday to vote against the request of the Special Prosecution Office, SPAK, for the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is accused of repeatedly violating equality in public tenders worth hundreds of millions of euros.

By Blerina Gjoka, BIRN

The Socialist majority announced on Monday its position against the request of the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) to arrest former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, effectively offering her political protection from the justice system.

 ‘There are no grounds to grant authorization for the personal security measure of arrest in prison or house arrest,’ said Ulsi Manja, a member of the Council on Mandates, who presented the Socialist report on SPAK’s request.

In a lengthy argument, Manja dismissed SPAK’s reasoning for the need for an arrest measure as unfounded, claiming that the alleged risk of evidence being tampered with was not credible since Balluku no longer exercises executive functions in government.

 ‘The risk of destruction of evidence was not proven with real facts, but is based on considerations that stem from the former ministerial position held by Balluku, especially since the accusation itself remains unchanged,’ Manja said.

Regarding the evidence presented by SPAK prosecutors to the Council on Mandates concerning alleged pressure on witnesses by powerful individuals and officials from her cabinet, Manja also suggested that prosecutors had not conducted sufficient investigations to substantiate this claim.

According to the Socialist Party report, the measure of prohibiting travel abroad would be sufficient for the investigation against Balluku to continue.

This is the second time that the majority has provided political protection and refused to lift the parliamentary immunity of an accused member of its ranks, following the protection it offered to former Interior Minister Sajmir Tahiri, who was later convicted by the court for ‘abuse of office’ in connection with contacts with organized crime figures.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who attended the meeting of the parliamentary group, reinforced his stance in defense of Balluku by describing the investigation against her as a ‘public trial’ and criticizing the Special Prosecution Office.

 ‘Simply the announcement of the accusation through a distorted process, and unfortunately one that has become routine for investigative groups at the ‘train station,’ which use the media as paramilitary forces for blaming and destroying their targets, was enough for waves of hatred to rise against Belinda Balluku and for 700 pots to start boiling,’ Rama said.

The vote on Balluku’s immunity is expected to take place in Thursday’s parliamentary session, within the legal time limits for a decision by the Assembly, after the majority delayed the process for three months.

Meanwhile, opposition members in the Council on Rules, Mandates, and Immunity recommended voting in favor of the Special Prosecution’s request, based on the evidence submitted by SPAK to Parliament, constitutional jurisprudence, the opinions of the Venice Commission, and the spirit of the fight against corruption.