TIRANA, Nov 13 /ATA/ – Opposition leader Sali Berisha stated on Thursday he would heed to any call from the justice system over investigations into the January 21, 2011 protest, during which four demonstrators were killed in front of the Prime Minister’s office.
The head of the main opposition Democratic Party said he had not yet received a summons and accused the government of using the case for political propaganda.
“I have always responded to any call from judicial authorities throughout my life, and I will continue to do so – there is no comment, only one condition: that I receive the summons,” Berisha said.
“Those who use this case for propaganda are miserable servants of a gang that robs Albanian citizens day and night. For about 13 years this case has been exploited for propaganda,” he added.
Berisha said the January 21 incident “was investigated both when I was in power and when I was not, including by fierce opponents of my government.”
He argued that “if the investigation was blocked or not properly carried out, it was because the main organizers were never investigated.”
The former prime minister also accused the government over the so-called incinerator scandal, which he described as “the biggest financial scandal in the history of the Albanian state.”
He alleged that the authorities continue to protect Integrated Energy SPV, the company involved in the waste management projects under investigation, while official probes have so far focused only on former deputy prime minister Arben Ahmetaj.
Berisha also criticized the Police Oversight Agency, claiming it was “led by criminal elements.”
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