Protests erupt in Albania after deputy PM indicted
Demonstrators pelt PM’s residence with petrol bombs and demand that government resign over corruption allegations
Protesters in Albania’s capital hurled petrol bombs at the building housing prime minister Edi Rama’s office on Monday, demanding the government’s resignation after prosecutors indicted the deputy prime minister for alleged corruption.
Political tensions in the Balkan country have escalated in recent weeks after the accusations against Belinda Balluku. Along with several officials and private companies, she has been accused of using state funds to favour some companies in major infrastructure projects.
She referred to the accusations in parliament last month as “mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies,” and stated that she would fully cooperate with the judiciary.
The Special Prosecution Office, tasked with combating corruption and organised crime, has requested that parliament lift Ms Balluku’s immunity this week and allow her arrest. It is not clear when the parliament, where Mr Rama’s ruling party holds a majority, is expected to vote.
As protesters threw petrol bombs in Tirana on Monday, police in riot gear protected the government building but did not push back the protesters.
“We have had enough because it’s a matter of tens and hundreds of millions of euros stolen, and she isn’t resigning. This is disgraceful,” said Arben Sulo, one of the protesters.
Ms Balluku also heads the infrastructure ministry, which manages hundreds of millions of euros in projects such as roads, bridges, and tunnels.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
