May 05, 2008 5:08 AM
TIRANA, Albania, Albania's prosecutor general says four Defence Ministry officials have been arrested and accused of corruption in connection with a series of deadly explosions at an ammunition depot.
The four officials, including an army colonel, were accused of ``corruptive actions ... in managing military goods,' says a spokeswoman for the prosecutor general.
She refused to give more detail but said other people were also being investigated.
In the March 15 disaster, a series of explosions at an ammunition disposal factory near the capital, Tirana, killed 26 people.
More than 300 people were injured and some 5,500 houses were destroyed or damaged.
Last week, the prosecutor general's office asked parliament to lift the immunity of the former defence minister.
Fatmir Mediu is accused of abuse of power, as part of an inquiry into the explosions.
Mediu, the leader of the Republican party, which is part of the governing coalition, has denied wrongdoing.
Parliament is expected to discuss lifting Mediu's parliamentary immunity later this month.
The Socialist-led opposition has accused the government of corruption in the disposal of obsolete weapons, and urged Prime Minister Sali Berisha to resign.
About 90,000 tonnes of excess ammunition, mostly Russian and Chinese artillery shells made in the 1960s or earlier, are stored in former army depots across Albania.
The United States on Friday offered help from contractor ArmorGroup North America (AGNA) to begin the slow and dangerous process of removing live munitions from the Gerdec blast area, according to a statement by the U.S. embassy in Tirana.
The embassy urged displaced residents not to return to the blast area until it was judged safe.
NATO members, including the United States, Canada and Norway, have been helping Albania dispose of the arsenal.
No comments:
Post a Comment