Feb 24 (Reuters) -
Albania's parliament lifted the
immunity of former economy minister Dritan Prifti on Thursday to
face prosecution on corruption charges, after Prifti blew the
whistle on the alleged corruption of his former party boss.
Last week, parliament lifted
the immunity of former deputy
premier Ilir Meta, Prifti's party chief in the Socialist
Integration Movement (SIM) party, after Prifti released a video
he had taped showing Meta pressuring to grant illegal favours.
But he turned from whistleblower into
suspect after a U.S.
expert retrieved a video from Prifti's computer showing him
splitting 70,000 euros ($96,600) with one of his deputies.
Prifti denies
wrongdoing and urged parliament to let
prosecutors investigate him.
Corruption has bedevilled Albania's efforts to move towards
membership of the European Union although Prime Minister Sali
Berisha promised to govern with clean hands.
Brussels last year refused to give Albania candidate status,
urging Tirana to first tackle corruption, the lack of a proper
democratic culture and the rule of law, and has called for an
investigation into the allegations against Meta.
"I will not take part in the session to
avoid influencing my
fellow lawmakers. I ask them to vote in favour of authorising
prosecutors irrespective of their personal or political
relationship with me," Prifti said in a letter to parliament.
With 119 votes in favour and three against,
lawmakers from
both the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Socialist
Party in the 140-seat parliament gave the go-ahead to
prosecutors. Prifti is closer to the Socialists now.
Declaring his innocence, Prifti said he was
ready to
cooperate with the prosecutors to eliminate any kind of doubt
about the video which he had taped himself, allegedly to
document the blackmail against him.
Meta, whose SIM party provides the four extra votes the
ruling Democratic Party needs for its majority in parliament,
resigned on Jan. 14 after the release of the footage.
Four protesters
were shot dead last month during a pitched
battle between security forces and demonstrators demanding the
government resign over the corruption scandal.
(Reporting by Benet
Koleka, editing by Daria Sito-Sucic and
Paul Taylor)