Albanian leader denies corruption over indicted FBI agent

By LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister has denied that he bribed or gave preferential treatment to a former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official who has been indicted in the U.S. Edi Rama told Parliament Thursday that the opposition wanted “to politically exploit a legal process in the USA that has no links at all to Albania, the government or me personally.“ The opposition asked for the debate with Rama claiming he was involved with Charles McGonigal, who is accused in the U.S. of hiding from the FBI key details of a 2017 trip he took to Albania with a former Albanian intelligence official who is alleged to have given him at least $225,000. McGonigal met with Rama several times.