Parliament vote to spark a row with president

TIRANA, July 24 – The parliament vote to oust Prosecutor-General Theodhori Sollaku may spark a big row with the country’s President Alfred Moisiu who is entitled to pass or deny such a voting. Moisiu is the institution that nominates and fires Prosecutor-General. The question stands at the interpretation of the Constitution which says the Prosecutor-General may be fired only if he is unable physically or mentally, or if he gravely violates the laws.
Following Monday’s vote parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli should send the proposal to Moisiu within five days.
The Democratic Party-led majority says that the report of the investigative parliamentary committee fully justified the fact that Theodhori Sollaku had broken the laws and should be fired. Prime Minister Sali Berisha and other top government and party officials have warned that Moisiu should immediately fire Sollaku.
Berisha also turned on the High Council of Justice (KLD) that last week turned down a request to replace two of its members with new ones. He said that the Interior Minister Sokol Olldashi would also prove how one KLD member, namely Artan Gjermeni, a former judge, was involved in the crime world.
The Socialist- Party-led opposition, on its side, from the start said that Sollaku’s investigation was illegal and they have asked the Constitutional Court to decide on that. The opposition says that Berisha wants to take prosecutor office under its control.
In this situation Moisiu is between two sharp knifes: should he fire Sollaku, or not?
If fired, he will be in good terms with Berisha’s government, though he should convince the opposition what are the laws broken from Sollaku.
If not, Moisiu will be in bad terms with Berisha only less than a year from the end of his mandate. That would be a great break of the formally good ties he enjoys at the moment, though he has had often friction.
But Sollaku will be in very good terms with the opposition, that has also said they may propose Moisiu again for another mandate, a strong offer in a vague atmosphere.
The Constitution, on its side, does not put any time frame when Moisiu should decide on the issue. Justice Minister Aldo Bumci confirmed that but also added that the president cannot ‘think it over’ for more than two months, which was the time the parliamentary investigative committee operated for the case. That seemed a strong warning.
Democrats’ parliamentary group leader Bamir Topi also said they expected Moisiu to given an answer within September.
Meanwhile Sollaku through his advisers said that he will continue to work calmly in his office waiting for Moisiu’s decision. There were also voices from the prosecutor office that some ‘important arrests’ would be made in the next days, something that may be considered either a way for Sollaku to prove his efficiency at work, or a warning to the centre-right politicians.