The former Deputy Minister of the Interior Rovena Voda, has confessed in an exclusive interview for Euronews Albania, her personal experiences regarding her sentence by the Appeal of the GJKKO with 10 months in prison for influence peddling.

Voda said that when she was informed of the charge on July 13, 2021, she was surprised because she did not remember the conversation she had with Majlinda Hasani, regarding the employment of Florida Beu in public administration.

According to her, the conversation was irrelevant to her and she does not appear in any wiretapping admitting that she received bribes or benefits in exchange for exercising her influence as a government official.

“At the time when I was notified about the security measure against me, it was July 13, 2021, and I had been released from duty for 1 year. At the time I had already started my professional life and I was working as a consultant on a project. When the security measure was communicated to me, it was a great surprise, a great uncertainty, a state of shock. When I read the court’s decision, it talked about a story that I didn’t even remember. It was about a story that in my memory has been irrelevant and was not related to either receiving benefits or exercising influence peddling.

First, I want to clarify that the communications were from two other people. At no time, in the 22 months of investigation, there was any communication where my voice is heard or any interception of me where I express anything about receiving and giving bribes or other benefits. The other two people are from Durres, I am a girl from Durres. Majlinda was an old lawyer in Durres, she was the lawyer where I did my internship and my professional practice. My acquaintance with her goes back as early as 2003”, said Voda.