Albanian parliament lifts Basha's immunity
28/12/2007
TIRANA, Albania -- Parliament overwhelmingly voted to lift Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha's immunity from prosecution on Thursday (December 27th). This cleared the way for an investigation into alleged abuse of office stemming from the Durres-Kukes highway construction deal, which was sealed when Basha was transport minister. After the vote, the opposition Socialist Party urged Basha to resign, saying he cannot lead Albanian diplomacy while being investigated. Basha denies all allegations against him and had urged lawmakers to lift his immunity, to demonstrate the country no longer shields its officials from scrutiny. (Kohajone, Shekulli, Shqip, Panorama - 28/12/07; Top-Channel, AP - 27/12/07)