Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TIRANA197
2009-04-01 13:36:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:  

GERDEC TRIAL DATE SET; BERISHA AND MEDIU FORM

Tags:  PGOV PARM KCOR KJUS KDEM AL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTI #0197/01 0911336
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 011336Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7999
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000197 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2019
TAGS: PGOV PARM KCOR KJUS KDEM AL
SUBJECT: GERDEC TRIAL DATE SET; BERISHA AND MEDIU FORM
"GERDEC" COALITION

Classified By: DCM Stephen Cristina for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000197

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2019
TAGS: PGOV PARM KCOR KJUS KDEM AL
SUBJECT: GERDEC TRIAL DATE SET; BERISHA AND MEDIU FORM
"GERDEC" COALITION

Classified By: DCM Stephen Cristina for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. On March 25, the Albanian Supreme Court
announced that the trial against former Defense Minister
Fatmir Mediu will begin May 4. The day before, Mediu filed
his own charges against Prosecutor General Ina Rama and lead
investigator in the Gerdec case Sokol Stojani. Prime
Minister Berisha continued his outspoken defense of Mediu on
March 20, publicly announcing an election coalition with
Mediu's Republican Party (PR) and again lambasting the
Prosecutor General for politically motivated accusations.
Albanian commentators believe Berisha's election campaign is
being taken hostage by Mediu and the Gerdec case. They
speculate that in return for Mediu's silence concerning the
involvement of Berisha's family members in the Gerdec
scandal, Berisha has agreed to give Mediu full political
support. Mediu was also instrumental in arranging most of
Berisha's February trip to Washington to attend the Prayer
Breakfast. Opposition members have seized on these events
and have labeled the PD-PR coalition the "Gerdec" coalition.
End Summary.

MEDIU FILES COUNTER-CHARGES
--------------


2. (U) On March 24, Mediu filed suit against Rama and Stojani
for revealing investigation secrets and for abuse of office
respectively. According to Mediu's lawyers, on April 25,
2008 in a press release announcing the investigation, Rama
illegally revealed certain secret information from the
investigation. They also claimed that Stojani sent text
messages to journalists involved in a TV debate with Mediu to
try to get the journalists to discredit him. Mediu's lawyers
claim that the Tirana Prosecutor's office has the right to
investigate the Prosecutor General (PG) and that Rama and
Stojani must be suspended from office until this
investigation is complete.


3. (C) Note. The original draft law on the Prosecutor General
would have permitted such a suspension of the PG in this kind
of situation. But the international community successfully
insisted the respective clause be removed, as it was a clear
attempt to politically control the PG. End Note.


4. (C) Given the legal vacuum caused by Mediu,s suit, the
director of the Tirana District Prosecutor,s Office Gent
Xholi has personally taken the case. Xholi has told Post
that as far as he is aware, Rama,s April 2008 press release
involved no secret information and all journalists involved
in the TV debate with Mediu have denied receiving text
messages from Stojani. Thus, he intends to dismiss Mediu,s
charges, after which Mediu can appeal the dismissal.

RECIPROCAL HOSTAGES
--------------


5. (C) Critics in the media question why Mediu waited almost
a whole year to file charges against Rama's actions in April
of last year, and they are unconvinced by Mediu's claim that
he did not want to influence the ongoing investigation. They
believe his actions are more likely tied to his
now-complicated relationship with PM Berisha. It is a
well-known fact that Berisha's brother-in-law died while
working at the Gerdec factory, and there have been rumors
that Berisha's son lobbied in favor of the Gerdec contract.
Many believe that in return for Mediu's silence concerning
the involvement of Berisha's family members in the Gerdec
scandal, Berisha has agreed to give Mediu full political
support.


6. (C) For Mediu,s part, the new electoral code clearly
favors large parties like Berisha's Democratic Party, at the
expense of smaller ones like Mediu's Republican Party. As
the tarnished, embattled leader of a small party, Mediu needs
every shred of political support he can get. It is widely
known that Mediu arranged Berisha,s February trip to
Washington, which Berisha considered an unconditional
success. Critics also note that Mediu filed charges against
Rama and Stojani only a few days after Berisha publicly
announced his election campaign coalition with Mediu's
Republican Party. During the announcement Berisha again
accused the PG of political motivations, of "forming
pseudo-accusations" and of pressuring judges.

THE GERDEC COALITION
--------------


7. (C) The opposition Socialist Party immediately seized the
opportunity and labeled the Berisha-Mediu pact the "Gerdec
Coalition." Anecdotal evidence suggests the label is sticking
and will injure the majority's reelection chances. Berisha's
only hope is to find a way to stall the court case past the
June 28 elections, and Mediu's charges against the PG are
likely the first salvo in this new attack.


WITHERS