The Albanian villa saga is not over

Eleven questions were sent to the European External Action Service by MEP Ingerborg Graessle, the president of the European Parliament’s Budget Control Committee. Eleven replies were received. The Parliament, however, considers these to be vague and evasive.

Take, for instance, question number 9. Think what would be the reaction of OLAF investigators if, during an interrogation, they were given such a reply, and then judge for yourself.

Question: Is the EEAS aware of any relatives, of members of the Albanian government, who are working for the EU-delegation? If yes, could you please provide us with the respective names?

Reply: The EEAS confirms that to the best of our knowledge no member of staff currently working for the EU Delegation in Tirana is a relative of a high-ranking member of the Albanian government.

The same could be said of Kim Jong-un – that “to the best of our knowledge, His Excellency is not a criminal”.

As for the explanations given for the price paid, the reply is rather ridiculous if you compare with the specific information on the over-pricing (it seems by over €1m) published in New Europe on 5 February 2017.

The real issue, however, is the political behaviour of the EU ambassador in Tirana Romana Vlachudin in view of the Albanian election of June 18. This is something that Federica Mogherini should pay attention to, as it seems that her ambassador is rather active in the election campaign. What is more, one of the issues widely discussed in Tirana is the relation of a specific political party with the trafficking of narcotics.

Source: New Europe