Albania: Ex-minister under house arrest during drug probe
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The office of Albania's top prosecutor says a former interior minister has been put under house arrest while being investigated for alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring.
Prosecutors had asked for Saimir Tahiri to be kept in custody, but Denion Ndrenika, spokesman for the Prosecutor General's Office, said Saturday that a court decided to place him under house arrest.
Tahiri was interior minister during 2013-2017 in Albania's Socialist government and resigned as a lawmaker a week ago. He is accused of links to a criminal group suspected of trafficking large amounts of cannabis. Some of the trafficking network's leaders were arrested in Italy and Albania.
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Tahiri has strongly denied connections to the group.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said he respects the court's decision and called for "an independent, transparent process."