Albania passes bill to vet around 13,000 police officers

TIRANA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Albanian government Wednesday adopted a bill on State Police vetting, under which, around 13,000 police employees will be subjected to scrutiny to see whether their source of incomes justifies their wealth.

"The aim behind this initiative is to contribute to establishment and consolidation of robust and credible institutions," Vice Minister of Interior Julian Hodaj told reporters after the conclusion of government's meeting.

Hodaj highlighted that this bill on transitory assessment of State Police, Republican Guard and Internal Control Service wasn't aimed at launching a wave of sacking people from police structures.

On the contrary, he said that at the heart of this initiative was the promotion of honest, skilled and dedicated people, bringing positive energy into the healthy part of the institutions.

Meanwhile, he said that the Ministry of Interior was left out of the vetting process to ensure independence, impartiality and credibility with respect to employees who will be subjected to vetting.

The international partners will take on a monitoring and advisory role throughout the process, from selection of nominees for the first vetting commission members to the vetting process, with the aim of guaranteeing quality, rigid adherence to the standards and transparency of this institution, according to the bill. Enditem