Tahiri
Fugitive Albanian Ex-Police Officer Convicted of Drug Trafficking
Albania Special Prosecutors Office in Tirana. Photo: Albanian Prosecution Office.
Tirana's Special Court Against Organised Crime and Corruption found Sokol Bode, chief of police in the southern Albanian village of Dhermi, guilty in absentia.
Bode has been on the run since Italian police cracked a cannabis smuggling ring dubbed 'the Habilaj Brothers.'
‘They’re Police’: Hapless Albanian Drug Couriers and a Minister’s Muscle
Their story, contained in court documents seen by BIRN, speaks to the well-placed connections that grease the wheels of Albanian drug trafficking, connections that in the case of Seferi and Ajdini stretched all the way to the security detail of the country's then interior minister.
Drug deal negotiated under police guard
Albania Prosecutors Seeks Prison Term for Ex-Interior Minister
Saimir Tahiri. Photo: EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA
The trial in Albania of the former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri is approaching the finish line with prosecutors demanding a 12-year sentence for him and Jaeld Çela, a former police officer who is currently on the run.
Albania Fires Prosecutor in Ex-Minister's Drugs Case
In a statement released on Wednesday Marku said that his office believes that the sacking of Hajdarmataj "will bring results in fast and effective penal proceedings for cases with a high priority."
Hajdarmataj however told BIRN that he didn't knew the reason for his firing, but he expected to be able to continue to work on Tahiri's case.
Albania Ex-Minister Quits Parliament to Fight Smuggling Claims
Six months after Albania's ruling Socialist Party used its parliamentary majority to block a request for his arrest on suspicion of drug smuggling, Albania's longest-serving Minister of Interior, Saimir Tahiri, on Thursday said he will resign as an MP, losing his immunity from arrest in the process.
Albanian Parliament Blocks Ex-Minister's Drug Arrest
A total of 75 MPs in the Albanian parliament on Wednesday voted against the prosecution's request to arrest former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri, arguing there is not enough evidence, with 60 voting in favour.
Albania PM Backs Ex-Minister in Drug Crime Probe
Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Monday that his ruling Socialist Party majority in parliament will turn down a request from the Prosecution Office for Serious Crimes, which asked for a mandate to arrest former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri.
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Albania Parliament Stalls on Allowing MP's Arrest
The chair of the Albanian parliament's Council for Regulations, Mandates, and Immunities, Gramoz Ruci, has postponed to Saturday a decision on the request of Prosecution Office for Serious Crimes to allow the arrest of former Interior Minister and current MP Saimir Tahiri.
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Albania Ex-Minister Accused in Drug-Smuggling Scandal
Media in Italy and Albania on Tuesday started to release transcripts of Italian police wiretaps of alleged drug smugglers, in which they mention former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri as someone they paid off with drug money.
The alleged drug smugglers speculate in the wiretaps that Tahiri used the money in Albania's electoral campaign.
Albania Sacks MPs and Mayor for Hiding Convictions
Albania's Central Electoral Commission, CEC, voted on Thursday to dismiss from office two MPs and a mayor who had hid their criminal convictions after submitting forms about their past.
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