A cigarette, a dismissal, Minister Kociu dismisss deputy minister

Interior Minister in Albania Albana Kociu has confirmed the departure of Deputy Interior Minister Andy Mahila's post after a denouncing received by an Albanian citizen living in New York.

According to the minister, the citizen had reported that the deputy minister had been seen smoking at a restaurant, contrary to the smoking ban law in closed environments. After verifying the event, Kociou has taken the decision to immediately dismiss the official.

“Everyone can unwittingly err and be understood, but smoking inside the bar is not an unintentional mistake, but an unwarranted violation of the law,” Koci claimed.

She stressed that this behaviour is especially unacceptable for a senior official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the institution tasked with implementing the law and guaranteeing public order.

The minister has personally announced the citizen who had filed the indictment, assuring him that his concern “did not fall on deaf ears”.

“I assure all citizens that any denouncing of them will be heard with respect, and not only in words, but also with concrete actions and principled attitudes, as they rightly expect from us,” Cociu concluded.. /Periscopi/