Prime Minister Edi Rama accused President Ilir Meta and opposition MP Sali Berisha of allegedly attempting (again) to destabilize Albania, following their alleged failure to stage a coup d’etat by agitating air traffic controllers to enter a strike earlier this month.
Rama claimed that this time they published a database with the personal information of 910,000 Albanians – which his Socialist Party is not using – in their hope of agitating the people into destabilizing the country after they failed with their plot at the airport.
He assured his party’s supporters during a rally on Tuesday that the Socialist Party has not been using the data leaked to the public, which include ID and phone numbers, as well as employer name – data that experts assess could have only been taken from the Civil Registry.
Lapsi.al published 9 days ago screenshots of what they alleged to be a database used by Rama’s Socialist Party for election purposes, containing data provided by public institutions who are supposed to protect it.
“Our system has no IDs,” Rama said, denying allegations that the published database was used by his party for electoral purposes.
Rama alleged that the database was leaked to the internet when Bujar Nishani of the opposition was Minister of Interior, 2011-2012.
It contradicts the fact that the information contained in the database allegedly leaked from the Socialist Party contains information as recent as the last six months, like employers of people who were employed only recently.
The Prime Minister praised the army of “Patrons” – over 9,000 PS supporters assigned with watching over a number of people to find out their political affiliation and other information – urged them to be proud of themselves and not care that their names are now known by all.
A large part of the so-called “Patrons” are civil servants who have to report to party headquarters on the duties assigned.
Rama then downplayed the leak of IDs and promised to make new “modern” ones, like those used in the “civilized world”.
“I say to all those who feel concerned that their (ID) number was leaked: Get over it! What number? You give that number when you take certain services. This (ID) card has nothing in it; it’s not the card that we will have in the future, the full ID card, as everywhere in the world, in the civilized world that is, the modern word, which will contain data on your health, social security, taxes, everything, everything, everything., and which will be your for no one to take. This is just a number, like a driver’s license, a passport, a license,” Rama told a group of cheering supporters on Tuesday.
He then read out loud his own ID number to show that it is irrelevant.
Albania’s biometric IDs, passports, driving licenses are in full compliance with the best international standards. Their renewal would bring a large cost on public spending but it’s the only way to restore trust in public institutions, according to an expert who spoke to Exit.
Health, social security, taxes, and much more personal information is accessible online through one’s ID on the e-Albania portal. Experts argue that the leak of the database has made such personal information reachable for many of the IDs leaked.
Finally, Rama lashed at two of his archenemies: President Ilir Meta and opposition MP Sali Berisha, whom he accused earlier this month of attempting to stage a coup d’etat, but later stepped back from such allegations.
“That’s why I tell all people: this was done by Ilir Meta […] together with Sali Berisha and Luli [Basha], as part of their destabilizing plots, like that one of Ilir Meta and Sali [Berisha] who unashamedly hijacked the Tirana airport,” Rama said, despite having earlier in his speech downplayed the leak, and after having accused Bujar Nishani, the former minister of ten years ago for it.
Since Lapsi.al published screenshots of an alleged database with the personal information of 910,000 people 9 days ago, the Albanian prosecutors have only questioned the two journalists who own the media portal. Prosecutors asked the court to force Lapsi to submit the database and reveal their sources, and the court approved the request on Sunday.
“Do you know how I know Ilir Meta’s mind? If you like, I could tell you what Ilir Meta is thinking right at this moment, right now. He is not in front of me but I could tell you that right away,” Rama assured his cheering supporters.
Read more: Exit Explains: The Leak of Over 910,000 Albanians Personal Data to Politicians and the Public
