Qirjako Mihali
Qirjako Mihali | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | April 7, 2009 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Years active | 1967–1990 |
| Known for | Candidate member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania; Minister of Finance; Deputy Prime Minister; Director-General of the Albanian State Bank |
Qirjako Mihali (born 13 May 1929, died 7 April 2009) was a prominent Albanian political figure affiliated with the Albanian Party of Labour. His career included roles as a candidate member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, Minister of Finance, and representative in the Albanian Parliament.
Biography
Mihali's professional journey started within the Party's industrial sector, where he notably held the position of Director at the Nitrogen Production Facility ("Azotik") located in Fier from 1967 until 1975.
He was appointed as a candidate member of the Politburo in January 1975, maintaining this status until his retirement in December 1990. Alongside contemporaries such as Hekuran Isai, Pali Miska, and Llambi Gegprifti, Mihali was part of a younger cohort that ascended to leadership following the Sino-Albanian split.
On 26 November 1977, he assumed the role of Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers under Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu. The subsequent year, 1978, marked his initial election to the Albanian Parliament, where he served through its ninth to eleventh sessions.
Following the death of Shehu, Mihali was considered for the position of Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Instead, on 15 January 1982, he succeeded Haki Toska as Minister of Finance, a post he occupied until February 1984 when Niko Gjyzari took over.
In February 1987, Mihali returned to government as Deputy Prime Minister within Prime Minister Adil Çarçani's administration. Concurrently, from 1986 onward, he led the State Planning Commission. Between March 1989 and December 1990, Mihali served as Director-General of the Albanian State Bank.
In 1993, a special tribunal in Tirana prosecuted Mihali along with nine other former officials on charges related to "abuse of public funds," resulting in an eight-year imprisonment sentence for him. Later, in August 1996, he faced trial for "crimes against humanity," receiving a seventeen-year term—shorter than the twenty years sought by prosecutors. All involved were released after the events surrounding the 1997 unrest in Albania.