Albanian prosecutors charge Mediu in connection with Gerdec explosions

28/04/2008

TIRANA, Albania -- General Prosecutor Ina Rama charged former Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu with abuse of power in regards to the deadly ammunition explosions at the Gerdec weapon depot on March 15th. Speaking to reporters Saturday (April 26th), Rama asked parliament to lift Mediu's immunity. He resigned as defence minister two days after the blast that killed 26 people and injured 302. Defending himself, Mediu told reporters "I resigned ... for moral reasons, but I will not allow anybody to turn my decision into a legal responsibility." Various military officials say Mediu had a personal interest in the dismantling of missiles by the contracted companies. (Shekulli - 28/04/08; Alsat, TopChannel, BalkanWeb, Koha Jone, Shqip, Panorama -27/04/08)