DUI and SDSM Seek Inquiry Committee, Announce Interpellation Against Stoilković

DUI’s parliamentary group today submitted an initiative to Parliament to establish an Inquiry Committee into the incident involving Local Self-Government Minister Ivan Stoilković. The incident occurred on the day the government was reshuffled and Stoilković was appointed to his new post. According to the initiative, the Inquiry Committee should analyze the chronology of the incident and the actions of each person involved.

The initiative to establish the Inquiry Committee was also supported by the opposition SDSM. The party’s leader, Venko Filipče, also announced during a meeting with journalists that an interpellation would be filed against Stoilković over his insults, threats and violent behavior.

Filipče said that an initiative to establish an Inquiry Committee into what happened during the government reshuffle had already been launched in relation to Ivan Stoilković. He explained that SDSM representatives had signed it to help secure the number of signatures required for the initiative to be accepted, while the interpellation against the minister would be submitted as soon as Parliament resumes work in September.

Bekim Rexhepi of DUI said that Parliament Speaker Gashi was in the institution when the incident occurred, which, according to him, was caused by Minister Stoilković. Rexhepi stressed that the party would insist on an Inquiry Committee, as the incident could not be considered insignificant. He described the case as an insult to MPs elected by citizens and said DUI would insist that it be clarified as soon as possible to prevent it from happening again.

The document submitted to Parliament also highlights as an important issue the refusal to allow access to footage recorded by the institution’s official video surveillance system. The initiative argues that, since the incident occurred during the performance of public duties and involved state officials, there is a clear public interest in subjecting all relevant evidence to institutional review.

SDSM also asked Parliament Speaker Gashi to provide the recordings of the incident that occurred in the corridor, immediately outside the doors of the parliamentary chamber. Gashi, however, told journalists yesterday that footage from inside the chamber could be made available, while recordings made outside it could not be provided because of the Personal Data Protection Law.

Asked whether he had also insulted MP Arbana Pasholli during the incident, Stoilković rejected the allegations, calling them fabricated. The local self-government minister said he could not respond to fantasies and baseless claims, adding that he could similarly claim that the MP had insulted him. Ivan Stoilković denied speaking to her or having any physical or other contact with her, stressing that he did not know how to deny an event that, according to him, had never happened.