Albania Mayor Resigns Over Sex Tape Scandal

The Mayor of Kukes, Safet Gjici, has resigned following publication of a tape showing him having sex in his office.

Albania's prosecution SPAK told BIRN that it had started a criminal proceeding about the case though it is not clear what the exact charges might be. Most likely he might face charges of "abuse of duty".

Gjici, Mayor of Kukes for the ruling Socialist Party, who had just won municipal elections there on May 14, resigned and asked for forgiveness through his Facebook channel. He said the video was a "trap" engineered by the opposition.

"Deepest public apology to anyone who saw that ugly video today. After a difficult campaign and confrontation with my opponents, after which I emerged victorious, unfortunately I fell prey to a trap prepared in detail by the same hand of people I faced in the election," Gjici wrote.

After Gjici announced his resignation, the Minister of Finance, Delina Ibrahimi, said the country's Council of Ministers was immediately dismissing him from office.

Kukes, the town that Gjici was running, is one of the poorest regions in Albania with a high rate of unemployment and deeply affected by mass migration, especially towards the UK. It has a decreasing population.

According to a survey by the organization "Sëisscontact", the population of Kukes has fallen by 13 per cent over the last decade and nearly 37 per cent of the remaining residents said they are also planning to emigrate.