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TIRANA, Albania (AP) - Albania's 2-month-old Socialist government says it will seek the prosecution of a conservative former defense minister on corruption charges, touching off a new round of confrontations between the country's two dominant political parties.
Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli on Monday said he was sending judicial authorities evidence allegedly implicating his predecessor, Arben Imami, in the abuse of duty and mismanagement of public funds _ offenses that carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Albania's long-governing center-right Democratic Party lost general elections in June and formally handed over power to the Socialists in September. The two parties have been locked in bitter rivalry and frequently accuse one another of corruption.
There was no immediate reaction from the Democrats Monday.
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