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US ambassador, Lu: Prosecutor general is against the judicial reform

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*Prosecution responds to us ambassador, Prosecution: Lu supports political segments connected to crime/

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*Meetings after accusations, President meets with the Chief Prosecutor/The United States Ambassador to Albania, Mr. Donald Lu, issued strong accusations today against the Prosecutor General, Adriatik Llalla.Making an address at the “We the People: Citizen Inclusiveness and Direct Democracy” Conference, the US Ambassador declared that the Chief Prosecutor has spoken against the Judicial Reform.The Ambassador also said that the Prosecutor General is trying to have the Courts and Prosecution under his control, and that the Chief Prosecutor has made efforts to seize the server of the High Inspectorate of Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest.

“We are already seeing powerful people try to maintain their control over the Courts and over the Prosecutors.”, said Lu, “The most recent example of this is the action of Albania’s Prosecutor General. For more than 18 months he has consistently and loudly spoken out against the Judicial Reform. In November and December, Prosecutors tried and failed to seize the HIDAACI computer servers that are vital for the vetting”-said Lu.

The US diplomat appealed to Civil Society, to international partners, and to the media to keep a sharp eye out for those who are corrupt and will “try to steal the elections, the Judicial Reform and the country’s democracy.”

The US Ambassador called on Civil Society and the media especially, to be careful as corrupt politicians are trying to steal the elections.

“If we, Civil Society, international partners, and the media, are not eagle-eyed, corrupt politicians, judges, Prosecutors and criminal bosses will try to steal this election, the Judicial Reform and everything else in this economy. These people are particularly afraid of domestic election monitors and those who safeguard direct democracy” -Lu stated. Ambassador Lu added that Prosecutors and judges from the European Union and the US will arrive in Tirana by next week to be part of the International Monitoring Operation.

Prosecution responds to us ambassador, Prosecution: Lu supports political segments connected to crime/

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Albania’s Prosecution-General reacted to the US Ambassador’s accusations, calling them undiplomatic.A representative of the Prosecution General read the reaction of the Chief Prosecutor, declaring that this is not the first time the Prosecution General has been faced with such attacks.

The Prosecution rep said that the Prosecution General has supported the Judicial Reform since in the beginning, saying, “The Prosecution wants to make clear to the US Ambassador that he may be used to being a God in Albanian politics but he cannot do this in the Prosecution institution. Mr. Lu thinks he has the Prosecution’s fate in his hands when he blackmails the institution to close some investigation by revoking visas. He and everyone else should bear in mind that the Prosecutors of the Republic of Albania do not need a visa to fulfill its constitutional obligations. The US Ambassador is trying to manipulate public opinion and to undermine the institutions.”

The Prosecution’s rep said that the US Ambassador’s statements come after the Prosecution General sent a letter to the President and the Assembly Speaker, notifying them about the continuous pressure and blackmail the US Ambassador makes to the Prosecution General.

Meetings after accusations, President meets with the Chief Prosecutor/

A few minutes after the Prosecution General responded to the US Ambassador, accusing him of blackmail and undiplomatic stances, the Prosecutor General held a meeting with President Nishani.

The meeting lasted for only a few minutes and according to Ora news sources, the focus of the meeting was the situation created with the US Ambassador’s statement.

At the same time that the Prosecutor General was holding a meeting with President Nishani, the US Ambassador’s vehicle was seen outside the Prime Minister’s office and then outside other Ministry buildings where he held meetings.

These developments happened after the Prosecutor General publicized the letter he had sent to the President and the Assembly Speaker, in which he expressed his concern about the open pressuring by the US Ambassador.

The Prosecutor General is accusing the US Ambassador of supporting political segments connected to Soros and of blackmailing the MPs to vote in favor of the Judicial Reform, and of also blackmailing the Prosecution over several issues.

The media reported that the President has refused a meeting with the US Ambassador, but the news has not been confirmed by either the President’s office or by the US Embassy.

 

US ambassador to South Korea stable after knife attack

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The US ambassador to South Korea is recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a knife-wielding man in Seoul. The assailant apparently shouted pro-reunification slogans.
The US ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, underwent treatment for two and a half hours by plastic and orthopedic surgeons in Seoul on Thursday, with his condition described as stable.
Lippert was attacked earlier in the day by a man, identified as 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong, at a breakfast function in the South Korean capital. Witnesses say Kim, wearing traditional Korean dress, lunged at Lippert across a table with a 25-centimeter (10 inch) long paring knife, slashing his face and hand.
News agency Yonhap TV showed men in suits wrestle Kim to the ground, while 42-year-old Lippert was rushed to hospital in a police car waiting outside the building.
Video footage shows the US envoy leaving the conference holding one hand to his right cheek, his clothes covered in blood.
At a televised briefing, Severance Hospital’s Chung Nam-sik said it took 80 stitches to close the facial wound, which was 11 centimeters (4 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) deep.
Chung said if the wound to his cheek had been lower it may have severed his carotid artery, a potentially “life-threatening” injury.
The hospital also said it had treated damage done to sensory nerves in Lippert’s hand.
Lippert was expected to stay in the hospital for the next three or four days.
He tweeted from his hospital bed that he was “doing well.”