Contradictory Statements of Deputy PM Peleshi on the Maliq Peat Burning Plant

During the parliamentary session of November 24, Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi responded to allegations of opposition deputy Sali Berisha about a supposed new thermoelectric power plant (TEC) planned in Maliq, Korça. According to the Deputy Prime Minister It is a decision of the government at the initiative of the Ministry of Energy (MEI) to give

Speaking at a Crossroads – Margo Rejmer Interviews Fatos Lubonja (Part 1)

Margo Rejmer: I want to start with a question related to a very particular situation discussed now in Albania, namely the ketchup attack on the Minister of Education and Sports by a young student, Mirela Ruko. The media are commenting on this event by referring to Ruko’s personal story: lack of funds for studying or

Deputy Eduart Shalsi Calls Protesters “Crybabies and Intriguers”

Today Socialist Party (PS) Deputy Eduart Shalsi, one of the three co-authors of the new law on waste management, has called the activists who oppose the law “crybabies,” while referring to the deputies of the opposition as “intriguers and speculators.” During an interview in the courtyard of the Parliament, Deputy Shalsi stated: The answer of

The History of the Waste Import Law – Exit Explains

Today is not the first time that a law allowing for the import and processing of waste is discussed in parliament. A similar law proposed by the former Berisha government was approved in 2011 and subsequently abolished in 2013 by incoming Prime Minister Edi Rama as the first official act of his new government. Formally, the

Prosecutor Llalla vs. Inspector Ganaj, Turf War Continues

Yesterday, the Court of First Instance in Tirana declared a series of decisions to seize of all the wealth declarations of high state officials and the central server of the High Inspectorate of the Declaration and Control of Wealth and Conflict of Interests (ILDKPKI) by the Prosecution of Tirana unlawful. On November 7, under the direction of General

The Costly Feud against Becchetti, 4M Euro and Counting

Several payments have been made on account of the international law firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, Albania’s legal representative in two arbitration cases that are currently under review at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of the World Bank in Washtington, DC, between businessman Becchetti and the Albanian government. In November

Vjosa and Valbona: Two Rivers, Different Measures

This week the government again used its budget reserves to pay lawyers in what is already turning out to be costly feud against the Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti. The government is clearly willing to face these costs, paid by the Albanian citizens, in the case of the Kalivaç hydropower plant. The government annulled Becchetti’s contract, tried (and failed) to

Gazheli Offers Credentials to Iranian President amid Diplomatic Tension

On Monday Oct. 31, the newly appointed non-resident ambassador to Iran, Genti Gazheli, offered his credentials to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Gazheli, who is at the same resident ambassador to Turkey and non-resident ambassador to Azerbaijan, has no previous experience in diplomacy, being a former customs officer and former director of the Directorate for the Prevention of

Kelmend Balili: Sali Berisha Worked with Greek Police against Rama

Kelmend Balili, the former director of the Regional Directorate of Road Transport Services in Saranda, currently accused for international drug trafficking and under an arrest warrant of the Greek police and the American DEA, sent a clarification to the Greek media through his lawyers. The letter states that: The accusations of the Greek police are

Lubonja: How Businessmen Enrich Themselves

About new political parties: These new forces seem a bit like “let’s build a boat,” but how are there to cross the ocean?! This is the problem of these new forces. Bringing together disappointed people, that’s possible, but how to manage to build trust, a new love, a vision such that people will build that

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