TIRANA, Dec. 24 – Gent Sejko, the President’s nominee for the central bank governor, has been unanimously approved as member of the bank’s supervisory council, paving the way to his voting by Parliament as the new governor.
Sejko received 111 votes from the ruling majority and the opposition which broke its 6-month boycott only this week just as deadline to return to Parliament was expiring. Two other candidates Natasha Ahmetaj and Tonin Kola were approved as members proposed by the majority to fill up the vacancies in the central bank’s supervisory council.
The central bank’s supervisory council, which reserves the right to propose to Parliament one candidate for the supervisory council, had nominated the presidential nominee as its candidate. The Council estimated that the candidacy of Sejko who is an experienced banker, fulfiled all legal criteria to be a member of the highest decision-making and supervisory board in the Bank of Albania.
In a hearing with the parliamentary economy committee this week, Sejko stressed the need to focus on management to prevent incidents like the recent theft which led to the dismissal of the former governor Ardian Fullani. “The biggest attention goes to the monetary policy and supervision but management is very important to prevent incidents in the treasury,” said Sejko.
Sejko’s consensual approval as a candidate for the council has paved the way to his voting as governor. The governor is elected from the bank’s supervisory council which he or she heads.
His candidacy by President Bujar Nishani was not enthusiastically received by the ruling majority who was seeking to nominate a high-profile international figure, including a foreign banker.
Sejko, 45, a banker with 20 years of experience in the country’s banking system, is currently the deputy director of the Albanian subsidiary of France’s Societe Generale.
President Nishani said he selected Sejko for his proper education, experience and moral integrity.
After the arrest of the central bank governor last September, the Bank of Albania’s supervisory council proposed to Parliament the dismissal of Fullani as Bank of Albania governor and replaced him with Elisabeta Gjoni, the first deputy governor, who will be the acting governor until the election of a new governor.
Ardian Civici, a member of the BoA Supervisory Council also resigned leaving the decision-making body with five out of nine members, and risking its quorum.
Few days after the arrest of the country’s central bank governor over a Euro 5 million theft scandal, the Albanian Association of Banks representing the 16 commercial banks operating in the country assured the Albanian banking system remains liquid, well-capitalized and sustainable.
