PD Group, letter to donors who monitor Albania's reforms: Linda Rama, undermines the credibility of the reports

2024-11-04 14:04:00, Politikë CNA

PD Group, letter to donors who monitor Albania's reforms: Linda Rama,

The Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party has sent a letter to all donor boards that make monitoring reports for Albania, authored by Mrs. Linda Rama.

The letter addressed to UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, USAID etc. points out that "Mrs. According to all Albanian and international laws, Rama is faced with conflicts of interest every time she is contracted by you to carry out measurements, analyzes or economic or social evaluations for Albania while her husband is the Prime Minister of the country.

The MPs raise the concern that "The credibility and impartiality of the products sponsored by your institutions is seriously damaged in the conditions when one of the authors is precisely Mrs. Linda Rama, who, due to her direct interest, finds impartiality impossible. Also, the enrichment of Ms. Rama and therefore her prime ministerial family, although in this case from non-public funds but due to the connection with the government of the reports, is also incompatible with the Constitution of Albania". The expertise of Mrs. Rama may be used in reports for other countries, where the lady has no conflict of interest.

The Parliamentary Group, after clarifying all the problems arising from this fact, states that: "Under these conditions, we express our concern that your data so far are contaminated by the bias of the author Mrs. Linda Rama and we request the elimination of any kind of influence as the author or through the centers created by it or with the future in projects related to Albania"

Full text of the letter:

Honorable

Appreciating to the maximum your prestigious institutions which have helped and continue to help Albania on the path of development and reforms, we want to share with you an essential concern related to the impartiality and real impact of your projects, from which your views on the progress of Albania derive.

Your monitoring reports for Albania have one of the main authors Ms. Linda Rama or the center where she is co-founder "Human Development Promotion Center"

Ms. Linda Rama is the wife of Prime Minister Edi Rama. According to the state protocol, she and her husband represent the Albanian government. Having said that, Mrs. According to all Albanian and international laws, Rama is faced with a conflict of interest every time she is contracted by you to carry out measurements, analyzes or economic or social evaluations for Albania as long as her husband is the Prime Minister of the country.

Albania today suffers from a significant lack of reliable and objective data. Therefore, every international report on the progress of economic and social development in Albania is considered a reliable source of information that exceeds the propaganda and mistrust of all other parties.

Donors' reports also provide necessary and indispensable knowledge for the construction of development policies. But being prepared directly from the prime minister's house, this puts at risk all the credibility of your reports, thus weakening the public's confidence that you are equal partners of the political parties.

The credibility and impartiality of the products sponsored by your institutions is seriously damaged in the conditions when one of the authors is precisely Mrs. Linda Rama, who, due to her direct interest, finds impartiality impossible. Also, the enrichment of Mrs. Rama and therefore her prime ministerial family, although in this case from non-public funds but due to the connection with the government of the reports, is also incompatible with the Constitution of Albania.

We do not judge Mrs. Rama's professional capacity, but we judge that her criteria of independence and admissibility are violated. Ms. Linda Rama can have the necessary expertise and knowledge to be your expert in any other country where there is no open conflict of interest, and where she will not have to evaluate or judge the policies undertaken by her husband and the father of her son who has been governing for 12 years.

Your ethical standards for avoiding conflict of interest, where before receiving any project any expert must pass the eligibility criteria, in this case have not been met.

Under these conditions, we express our concern that your data so far are contaminated by the bias of the author Mrs. Linda Rama and we request the elimination of any kind of influence as an author or through the centers created by her or with the future in projects related to Albania.

Our interest is the cooperation with your organizations, even the reference as accurate data of your reports. Therefore, independence and distance from political parties would be the center of trust between us and you.

Appreciating to the utmost your sensitivity to political impartiality