Albania Spy Chief Resigns Amid Arm’s Row

The head of the Army’s Secret Service, Colonel Ylli Zyla, resigned on Thursday following media reports linking his wife to arms traders.“I am resigning to protect my integrity, the integrity of my family and the integrity of the army’s secret service as an institution part of NATO member state,” Zyla said in his resignation letter to Prime Minister Sali Berisha.Zyla has been at the centre of series of critical reports from the Tirana daily Shqiptarja.com, which has published documents that allege that the colonel’s wife is a part owner in a company which trades arms with Albania’s Ministry of Defence.

He described the media reports about him as “immoral and lacking in substance.”

Some opposition MPs accused the Ministry of Defence earlier this week of blocking a probe by the parliamentary National Security Commission, which is tasked with investigating Albania’s arms trade.

The ministry denies the accusation, and affirmed on Tuesday that it would grant MPs access to the information requested.