Gerdec victims want former minister accused

TIRANA, Jan. 26 – Fatmir Mediu, now environment minister, on Monday had to go to the Supreme Court to cope with another civil lawsuit over his role in the deadly blast at a munitions demolition depot on 15 March, 2008, that killed 26 people and wounded some 300.
At that time Mediu was defense minister in the previous government headed by Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
Two of the victims wounded by the blast raised the lawsuit bearing him responsible for the blast that threw tons of ammunition from the makeshift depot in Gerdec, only ten kilometers outside Tirana, all around.
The local media reported that Mediu had asked pardon for what had occurred to them but had said he had no legal responsibility.
The two had not agreed to close the case.
Last September, the Supreme Court suspended a penal case against Mediu, just hours after he was sworn in as minister in the new government, saying they could not proceed against a person with parliamentary immunity.
Mediu had secured a seat in parliament in last year’s parliamentary elections as leader of the Republican Party.
The parliament had stripped Mediu of its immunity after the blast and the prosecutor general’s office had charged him of abuse of post.
To reopen the case, General Prosecutor Ina Rama should again ask the parliament to lift Mediu’s immunity.
Other than Mediu, 28 other army and ministry officials and individuals are accused of abuse of post and mass murder, including former chief of staff Luan Hoxha, Gen. Shpetim Spahiu and Gen. Zija Bahja. All have denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have filed murder charges against Mihal Delijorgji, the owner of the Alba-Demil company that managed the demolition work at the blast site. Some charges have also been filed against his administrator Dritan Minxholi, and Ylli Pinari, the former head of Albania’s arms export agency MEICO, which was in charge of supervising the demolition work on site. Sokol Ngjeci, a MEICO supervisor at the demolition facility, has also been charged with murder.
Estimates published by the Albanian government say the explosion caused more than 20 million euro in damage to the surrounding area. Some 400 houses were totally destroyed; 188 were severely damaged; 200 sustained major damage; and 1,600 others were slightly damaged.