The Albanian parliament lifted the immunity of Sali Berisha

The Albanian parliament has revoked the immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, paving the way for his possible arrest in connection with a corruption investigation.
The Special Prosecutor's Office for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) accuses Bersha of corruption related to the privatization of a state sports complex "for the benefit of his son-in-law".
The acts are said to have taken place in 2008, when Berisha - now the leader of the opposition - was the country's prime minister.
Berisha remained adamant after the vote, in which 75 of the 140 members of parliament approved the move.
"I am stronger than ever," Berisha said as he left the meeting.
The vote followed a request by prosecutors after Berisha refused to cooperate with authorities during the investigation.
His son-in-law Jamarber Maltese was arrested in October and placed under house arrest after being accused of corruption and money laundering.
Maltezi is suspected of taking advantage of Berisha's position to acquire a sports complex in Tirana that was owned by the defense ministry and was used to build apartments.
Berisha has long denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigation "purely political", accusing Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama of instigating the probe.
Berisha is Albania's first democratically elected president since the fall of communism in the 1990s. He was also Prime Minister of Albania for eight years until 2013.
He was barred from entering the US and Britain last year because of his alleged involvement in organized crime and corruption - charges he has denied. /BGNES