The Special Court against Organized Crime and Corruption accepted on Thursday the request of the SPAK for the measure of arrest in prison against the former Minister of Environment Lefter Koka.
Koka’s lawyer, Fatmir Braka, spoke to the media outside the doors of the Special Court after the latter’s decision to leave the former Minister of Environment in prison.
Braka said that from the beginning this process has been political. “It is not normal for Lefter Koka to be a person under investigation, he has never been asked. I say that the beginning of this process has been political from the moment of the report, from the moment of continuity and today I learned that an appendix to the report has been made again by the SMI. I think it is the political moment that has influenced the conclusion of this criminal case,” he said.
The lawyer added that it is not normal for a former minister, former MP, former mayor to be taken under surprise investigation and arrested when he has never been questioned.
“Within 5 days when the decision is available to us, we will make our appeal to the Court of Appeals,” said lawyer Braka.
Koka, an old close link of PM Edi Rama, former prominent deputy of Socialist Party, has been accused of corruption since long but Rama’s shield protected him in his multifaceted corrupt affair pumping money for SP’s electoral campaign leading it to the victory of April 25 general elections.
Rama repeated he is not impressed by Koka’s detention because, according to him, the investment in Elbasan is there, in the eyes of all and based on the contract now it is public property of the municipality of Elbasan that will serve to continue the protection of zones from pollution.
Further on he said the former minister’s issue with the SPAK and the judiciary is neither a political issue, nor a party issue, nor a collective issue, but an individual issue.
In the meantime police have not been able as yet to detain two close collaborators of Koka, who have been in charge of running the corrupt scheme of the projects, and their whereabouts are unknown. / Argumentum.al
