Prosecution Office Confirms Socialist Mayor’s Previous Criminal Sentence 

Mayor of Mat Agron Malaj has been previously convicted for a criminal offense and he cannot hold a public office.

The General Prosecutor’s Office has completed an investigation and found that Malaj was sentenced to 10 months in prison for “illegal possession of weapons” in 1999, ABC News reported

Despite Mayor of Mat Agron Malaj declaring it on his decriminalisation form, he was still allowed to run, and win, becoming Mayor after the 30 June local elections.

The opposition Democratic Party denounced the case in January, and asked the prosecution to investigate the mayor.

The prosecution stated that removing Malaj from his post after this confirmation was up to the Central Election Commission.

The investigation into Malaj was conducted by prosecutor Sokol Stojani.

Malaj is the fifth Socialist mayor out of single-party June 30 elections that has been accused of not complying with the decriminalization form. The previous four mayors were accused of hiding their criminal past.