The investigation into the Elbasan incinerator was stopped/ the prosecutor is being re-educated

2024-05-10 13:42:00, Aktualitet CNA

The investigation into the Elbasan incinerator was stopped/ the prosecutor is

Prosecutor Anton Pali of the Durrës Prosecutor's Office was sent for re-education and was temporarily suspended from duty by the Independent Qualification Commission, after the vetting process identified professional problems. Paul passed the criterion of image purity without any problems and the administrative investigation did not notice any problems on his wealth.

But in the hearing held on Wednesday, the commission raised questions about some of its decision-making in the role of the prosecutor, where in particular the concern was related to the decision to close without charge an investigation carried out in 2017 on the Elbasan incinerator project, a project that was suspected of criminal offenses of money laundering and corruption.

According to the vetting process report, Paul's work on the matter raised questions about why he had not investigated the subcontracting companies, which, in a later investigation, turned out to be largely bogus companies created to issue invoices through former minister Lefter Koka is accused of receiving millions of euros in bribes.

"It is unclear how it was concluded to suspend the investigation, when the previous prosecutor had concluded that there was active corruption and laundering of the proceeds of the criminal offense," the report said.

Pali defended himself during the session with the argument that the 2017 investigations were limited to the accusation of whether or not the financing of the incinerator was a financing with dirty money and that he had come to the conclusion that it was not, because the source of the financing was the state budget.

The vetting process for prosecutor Pali was carried out by the KPK body headed by Etleda Çiftja, with rapporteur Brundila Bektesh and member Lulzim Hamitaj. Steven Kessler was present as an international observer./Reporter.al