"The Assembly's decision on Belinda Balluku is closed" - Rama: Investigations can continue
Prime Minister Edi Rama commented on the decision of the Albanian Parliament not to authorize SPAK's request for the deprivation of the freedom of MP Belinda Balluku, describing the issue as already closed in the parliamentary plan. According to Rama, the Parliament reviewed the request responsibly and decided not to approve it, as it was assessed that there were no sufficient reasons for restricting the freedom of an MP.
"The Albanian Parliament ended a long discussion, debate, controversy, clash regarding the request to authorize the deprivation of liberty of a deputy. And the issue of deputy Belinda Balluku, in my opinion, in our opinion, is a closed issue. The Parliament expressed itself after treating with great responsibility and with the greatest care everything that was made available to it and did not authorize the request with the assessment that the request is in the continuation of a trend, which cannot continue indefinitely, where people are treated as if they were tools at the disposal of the fight against corruption, even when it is not about corruption, even when it is not about embezzlement for personal interests, even when it is not about any reason that may hinder the development of investigations and are taken and brought in, practically turning Albania into the black sheep of the Council of Europe, of all the countries of the Council of Europe, not of the European Union, as the country with more pre-trial detainees, i.e. locked up without trial, than prisoners, i.e. tried and convicted. "58% of the population that we have today in the prison system of the Republic of Albania have not been tried, but are in prison and live off Albanian taxes, instead of living off their work outside prison and being pursued while free," said Prime Minister Rama.
According to Rama, a deputy, like any other citizen, is equal before the law and can be investigated if there is reason for investigation, but the restriction of freedom must be based on concrete evidence and conditions.
“A deputy is equal before the law, this is not discussed. Like any other citizen, he can and should be investigated if there is reason for investigation, but the freedom of a deputy, like that of any other citizen, cannot be limited simply and only with general words or with the theory that the prosecutor and the judge are independent and they do whatever they want. They cannot do whatever they want when they knock on the door of the Assembly and the Assembly cannot pretend not to see, not to hear, not to think and refuse to perform its role, practically protecting its dignity, the dignity of the parliamentarians of the Republic of Albania who cannot be treated as guilty without being declared as such by the court and cannot be limited in their freedom without having any condition that leads to this direction. ”, Rama added, among other things.
While stating that the Assembly's decision does not prevent the prosecution from continuing the investigation. "And the Criminal Procedure Code is very clear: Not granting an arrest warrant does not prevent the prosecution from continuing the investigation or seeking other measures. So, the investigation continues and justice is not hindered. On the other hand, the deputy no longer exercises any executive function. The entire request was there, when she exercised the executive function and despite the fact that she is no longer in office, the prosecution continued to request the same thing, forgetting that in fact there was nothing new that had happened, except for the fact that the deputy was simply a deputy and that she no longer has any capacity to influence anything regarding the investigation. So, I repeat, arrest as the most severe security measure will be the last resort, it cannot be the first resort," the prime minister said.
He also reacted to criticism that this decision could affect the country's European integration process, ensuring that Albania's path towards the European Union will not be blocked on this issue.
"And I want to add here that all those who raised the alarm for integration and membership in the European Union, which was so close to us, keep in mind, are the same ones who until this moment preached day and night that integration and membership were very far away. That integration and membership was "a dream that I sold to Albanians but that I didn't even believe in myself", that "we would never join the European Union" and suddenly the lids were lifted on all the pots because the dream was shattered at the last moment. ", Rama said.
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