“Court mocking Albanians”

From Lushnja, where he was meeting the local leaders, the head of the Albanian opposition, Edi Rama, commented the court’s decision as a cynical mockery of the common people, underlining that this is the first step of the installation of an injustice regime in Albania.

“I am aware of the anger that is felt today among the common people, aware of the persistent request of the active part of the opposition people to react against injustice. But let us be more aware that there is only one way for overthrowing this scandalous situation, and this way is the construction of the European alternative that we have undertaken”.

By relating the sentence of the Supreme Court with the 100th year of the independence, the opposition leader posted two messages on his Twitter profile, saying that “Scanderbeg and all the fathers of our nation would feel ashamed today by the low level of the Albanian justice after 100 years of independence”.

In his second message on Twitter, Rama says that “Europe will also feel ashamed, that yesterday was hampered by justice in the efforts to approach Albania to the EU on the independence year”.

Although the opposition gave no press release for the court sentence, some of the Socialist MPs condemned it through social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Ilir Meta found innocent

With a three-paragraph long decision, the Supreme Court found Ilir Meta innocent, by giving the sentence that maybe was expected by many, but without an explanatory argument.

In the 21st court session of the Supreme Court for the case of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Ilir Meta, the Penal College found him innocent with four votes in favor, one against and one parallel vote. Although the decision was supposed to be announced at 13:00, the Penal College entered the room two hours and a half later.

The rapporteur of the case, Ardian Dvorani, declared that Ilir Meta, charged of active corruption for high rank state officials, was found innocent for his charges for lack of evidence, with the same sentence that Meta’s defending lawyers had requested.

Mr. Dvorani then declared that he had a parallel opinion, which means that he had found Meta guilty, but with another explanatory argument.

Dvorani’s and the four other judges will give the explanatory arguments within 15 days from the announcement of the Supreme Court decision. The Penal College confirmed that the material evidence, the USB, the laptop and the camera-clock will be handed over to the General Prosecution for another case.

Meanwhile, the procedural expenses and the 3 million ALL spent by the three Albanian experts for the examination of the Meta-Prifti video file are charged to the state.

The announcement was made in the court room, in presence of observers of foreign missions from the US embassy and the OSCE, who assist the Albanian justice.

In a previous session, the General Prosecution asked the court to sentence Ilir Meta to two years in prison and with a 1 million ALL fine, together with the procedural expenses.

According to the Prosecution, the investigations have proved that Ilir Meta had consumed the penal act of active corruption and that this, according to the Prosecution, was proved not only by the video, but also by the testimony of the former Minister of Economy, Dritan Prifti, who told the Court that he had been pressured by Meta for several favors in government auctions and concessions.

Among them was the request for favoring the temporary merging of the “Vellezerit Tola SHPK” Company for the concessions of the hydropower plants, and the auction of 30.000 tons of oil for the “Halilaj Holding Group”.

Sentence, Brussels reacts

The European Commission does not have the authority to comment about specific court decisions in Albania, but the “Meta-Prifti” case was closely followed by the European Commission services and different foreign embassies of the country, which are expected make their evaluations in the next progress report.

Peter Stano, Spokesperson for EU Commissioner Stefan Fule, declared that the European Commission is taking notes about this verdict, but they cannot comment about specific cases.

“The European Commission has no mandate and cannot comment about such specific cases, but I can say that the rule of law is very important. It is a very essential decision for the European road of every aspiring country that desires to join the European Union. In Albania’s case, the rule of law is one of the 12 key priorities that were set”, Stano underlines.

Prifti, this Wednesday for the media

The reactions about the Supreme Court verdict for the trial against the SMI leader, Ilir Meta, are expected in many in the upcoming days.

A special interest shows the declaration of the main witness of the case, MP Dritan Prifti, the former Minister who publicly denounced the former Deputy Prime Minister, Ilir Meta, over corruption charges.

Media sources suggest for Shqip newspaper that the former Minister of Economy, Dritan Prifti, will hold a press release this Wednesday, for the first time after the Supreme Court announced the verdict. 

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