Albanian PM seeks to stop judiciary from suspending ministers

TIRANA, Feb 16 - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his government would change the law to protect ministers from suspension while they are under criminal investigation, prompting the opposition to accuse him of trying to protect himself and harming judicial independence.

A court suspended Rama's deputy, Belinda Balluku, in November following her indictment by Albania's anti-graft prosecutors, known as SPAK, over alleged meddling in a tender for infrastructure projects, which she denies.

The case has sparked a dispute between SPAK, which has asked parliament to lift Balluku's immunity to allow her arrest, and Rama, who has complained about judicial overreach, especially with pre-trial detentions.

Albania aims to join the European Union by 2030 but the bloc says the country must do more to fight crime and corruption.

Rama's Socialist Party, which last year secured a fourth consecutive term, has a comfortable parliamentary majority and it is unclear if and when the assembly will lift the immunity of Balluku, who also served as an infrastructure minister and is a close ally of the prime minister.

"The moment a minister is dismissed not only is one person dismissed but the whole work of that institution," Rama told his party lawmakers on Monday, announcing the plan to change the law.

The opposition has staged a series of protests in recent months in the capital Tirana to demand Balluku's resignation. On Monday they said Rama was seeking to control judicial proceedings in his favour with the amendments.

"This is nothing more than an attempt by Rama to protect himself, blowing up both the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers... because behind Balluku and her wrongdoings stands Rama," the main opposition Democratic Party said in a statement to Reuters. REUTERS