Two Albanian MPs Face Arrest Over Murder Claims

Albania's General Prosecutor's Office on Friday sought permission from parliament to arrest two MPs suspected of giving false testimonies.

The Prosecution Office said that Tom Doshi, who earlier this month claimed that the speaker of the parliament, Ilir Meta, had hired a hitman to kill him, invented the plot in collaboration with another MP, Mark Frroku.

The prosecution said it did not believe any such plot to assassinate Doshi ever existed.

According to the constitution, parliament must first lift the immunity of the MPs before they can be arrested on suspicion of a crime.

Former Socialist MP Doshi aired allegations about the attempted murder on 2 March, the day when Prime Minister and Socialist leader Edi Rama expelled him from the party.

Doshi claimed that Frroku had informed him about the murder plan and that the assassin had since confessed the plot to him, and been rewarded by him with an armoured car.  

Frroku denied being the source of information about the murder plot.

However, the prosecution says it believes he lied to the prosecutors. Last week, leaked police documents showed that Frroku is suspected of having hidden a drug dealer from police in his car.