Chasing chain: As Arben Ahmetaj assured them and furnished two luxury villas

The investigation of the Special Prosecutor over former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj notes that a luxurious villa in Gren Coastão was secured through unpaid transactions for the former wife, while a second was provided for co-existence in Hamallaj, where the work was done free of a company that won reconstruction tenders.

Somewhere around August 2022, the operator clocks of the Electric Energy Distribution System in the villages of Wuno, Pala, Gjilek and Ilyaz on Albania's southern coast receive a complaint from the Green Coast complex, a luxurious closed villa community built through the Strategic Investment Controvers Law, adopted in 2015 with the Economic Development, Trade and Enterprise Ministry's proposals at the time, under the direction of Arben Ahmetaj.

Asked by judicial police officers on account of SPAK earlier this year, O employee SHEE said she had been called by the resident of the 73th villa, who told her the meter was not right because she is fattened more than she consumes. The employee went to the country, photographed the clock and the complaint ID, and forwarded the complaint to the relevant office. Lab specialists tested and concluded that the clock was in order and there was no overindulgence.

Only that the seemingly insignificant minor incident is expected to cost not a little complaint, former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj's former husband, as she thus offered documentary evidence on which, The SPAK came to the conclusion that the 73th villa, formally under the ownership of an Albanian residential in Switzerland, is actually Ahmetaj's undeclared property and former husband, Albina Manchka.

The prosecution's investigation found that two villas -- one in Green Coast and another in the village of Hamallaj in Durres -- appear to have been benefited by Ahmetaj through various money laundering schemes. In the case of Hamallaj, renovation works -- worth declared by entrepreneur 137 thousand euros -- were never liquidated.

MP Arben Ahmetaj is charged with the Special Prosecutor of Organised Crime and Corruption, SPAK for money laundering, property failure and passive corruption linked to the so-called engineering relationship. The Assembly has approved a request by the Prosecutor for the removal of immunity and authorisation of Ahmetaj's arrest, but, meanwhile, has left the country.

From the run Ahmetaj has denied the charges and described them as persecution.

Asked earlier at the prosecutor, Ahmetaj has denied that the villa in Green Coast was owned by him, while Mancka has told investigators that she has only the villa in use, while her owner is the citizen Elda Dinaj, living in Switzerland, with old friendships.

Even Dinaj, questioned by the prosecution, has stood up to the Manchka version, though prosecutors have pointed to a mountain of evidence that her relations with the purchased property have been spordic, while Manchka's relations have been intense, including plans for internal mobilization and arrest, as well as personal items seized by officers during the physical control of the villa. Prosecutors note that the day Dinaj signed the villa purchase contract, the system T The IMS shows that it was not found in Albania, while convenently, notary that recorded the transaction, was Manchka's brother. Prosecutors also note that Dinaj's claims that the work at the villa has paid herself with money brought Mass In Albania it seems to be in conflict with the fact that it has not declared in customs bringing such sums, which constitutes legal obligation when crossing the border with considerable monetary means.

The villa with the children's names

Prosecutors have found that villas in the tourist village of éren Costet '%, at the start price of 381 thousand euros, were initially purchased Interte Express, the company under the ownership of controversial businessman Mond Bego, who has paid only 50 thousand euros and continues to be considered debtors by the retailer. This villa was later sold by the Inerte Express for 300 thousand euros in the state of Elda Dina, which has paid only 120 thousand euros.

Despite these transactions, in the vendor's register Green Coast shpek, the company Interte Express follows to release debitor, despite the contracting deadline has been only 12 months, while the contract envisions significant penalties for delayed payments, which, it appears, have not been implemented on the part of the retailer.

“From investigations, there is doubt that even this is a hidden asset from citizens Arben Ahmetaj and Albina Mancka, declassified by illegal income and the criminal act of clearing products of criminal or criminal activity,” reported in the file Albania's Special Prosecutor sent to the Assembly.

Prosecutors note that even the language used in the communications of an employee of the Inerte Express company sounds connected to extinguishing transactions.

Thus, through a telephone number whose owners have identified him with nameless and nameless files, the employee “was asked if they should make any circulation”.

The communicationsman further notes that “should close the 73th villa, left after they've collected only one fifty and are to be circulated 337,731 and must choose the bank to which it will pass. ”

The SPAK, however, has not identified the source of money used for buying this mansion, while accusing Ahmetaj and Mancka of money laundering and false property statements.

Key evidence of the prosecution appears to have been provided by the sequentisation of data in an architectural studio employed by Ahmetaj and Mancka for the renovation of their numerous properties, as well as of the bills and evidence collected from a large number of citizens and businesses that have worked for renovation police and cleaning plates.

From designers prepared by the architecture studio, prosecutors found out how the names of the rooms in the mansion allegedly under Dinaj's ownership are furnished with the names of Manchka and her children, while the furniture orders are made in the same conflict.

The story of both villas, whitened by SPAK investigations, represents a close link between companies that obtain public contracts or license and political corruption, unlimited to the intensive scandal, which was the starting of investigations. Investigations also reveal expenses for luxury furniture with a pair of coughs costing over 5 thousand euros, or a bed costing 48,000 euros.

Investigations capture an episode in which, the real estate re-evaluation process undertaken by the government “Rama” in 2019-2021, appears to have also created maneuvering space for money laundering at minimum cost.

This is noted in the process of re-evaluating an apartment, initially purchased for 45 thousand euros and re-evaluated for 130 thousand euros, effectively legalising the 850,000 euro gap against a minimum fiscal cost of 2 per cent.

Several transactions have been used in both villas to hide the origin and destination of wealth, transactions involving several companies.

The investigation, though limited to Ahmetaj and allegations of illegal profits from him, appears to open numerous investigative tracks for other alleged corruptions.

“From investigations, there is doubt that even this is a hidden asset from citizens Arben Ahmetaj and Albina Mancka, driven by illegal income and subject to the criminal work of clearing products of criminal work or criminal activity,” is written in the prosecution's request for the removal of immunity to MP Arben Ahmetaj's arrest from Albania's Parliament.

Vila in Hamallaj

Klodian Zoto is an escaped businessman, indicted by the SPAK along with his partner Mirel Mertri for active criminal acts “corruption” and “Cleaning of criminal products” in the criminal record for Elbasan intensor and separately Fier's.

According to investigations Zoro has paid through his credit card and bank transfers luxury tourist travel to Ahmetaj, his family and relatives, as well as some other Socialist officials to Europe.

The SPAK highlights in its request to the Parliament that citizen Klodian Zoro is hiding after ordering a gathering in the village of Hamallaj at a new tourist complex on the Adriatic coast held by the Mane TCI company, which is allegedly the former deputy prime minister's hidden property.

According to the investigation, the villa was originally ordered in June 2017 by Klodian Zoro, who immediately passes the key to Mirerit by order: Take a little bit of phrase to him and take a look at it and tell me about the data that's ok.” Looks like Frat Short for searching fratello [brother in Italian] is how Zoro and Neri are addressed to Ahmetaj at this time.

The two-story villa, with 517m of land and 221m of construction, is priced at 129 thousand euros. In November of that year, the company announces that the villa is finished. According to the contract, the amount of money agreed on had to be paid now. In February 2018, the contract is cancelled, since Zoro did not pay.

Citizen Gerian Kuka, company owner, stands out AE Distribution. According to the prosecution, he had an exchange contract with the Mane Company for a land area in Dherme, under which Kuka offered 13 thousand square metres of land for development and received two villas. An amendment to the contract in 2018 also gave him a villa in Hamallaj, a transaction for which the prosecution raises questions because it does not seem to be justified by any valid business logic. Except, according to the prosecution's investigation, the villa was not handed over to Kukes, but to national Erjola Hoxha, who later became a co-existenceer of Arben Ahmetaj.

The prosecution notes that during 2019, 2020 and 2021, Hoxha handles the renovation of the villa and its furniture, but only in March 2022, Kuka sells the villa to Hoxha for 220 thousand euros. The prosecution says that paying for the villa attended a series of suspicious transactions, attended by companies and individuals, including the parents of Ahmetaj's co-existence and his childhood companion, Artan Gjokaj, whom Ahmetaj had found work as director of Petrol Alba in 2013, after becoming minister.

Suspected false transactions start with the StarTT company, for which prosecutors point out that it has been beneficial for reconstruction funds with municipal procurement entities Tirana. In 2018, this company sells Hoxha's parents an apartment to the fifth row of the Hamallaj complex, with a total of 70 square metres and a price of 45 thousand euros. The prosecution notes that buyers were forced into debt to pay the last tranche, which was cleared on January 24th 2022, a day before the final contract was signed. And on January 26th, 2022, owners apply for re-evaluation of property, under the provisional law that allowed fiscal re-evaluation. The newly declared value: 130 thousand euros. On February 17th, citizen Artan Gjona buys the apartment for the same amount. Shortly thereafter, parents donate the obtained amount to the girl, who uses it to pay 220 thousand euros for the villa.

In essence, a 70 square metres flat in the fifth row was transformed, within a short period, into a villa in the first row of the tourist complex, with 720 square metres of construction and 500m of land.

The prosecution notes that Djoko and his wife live in Tirana for rent, despite choosing to spend 130 thousand euros per 70 square metres of holiday apartment in Lalzi Bay, while investigations into the architecture studio that has been dealt with by the renovation of the villa in Hamallaj have found that even the apartment purchased in the name of parents seems to belong to the citizen Erjola Hoxha, co-existence of Arben Ahmetaj.

The addition of the apartment as described above, at the estimated 130 thousand euros, is allegedly carried out at this value, only to justify the following price of national Erjola Hoxha for buying the villa,” says the prosecution.

Before she formally bought the villa, Hoxha seemed to have been busy with her work and furniture since 2019. But most of the work seems to have been done during the year 2021. In February of that year, the Egeu Stone company receives a bill for 150 square metres of parks from Brunes company worth 13 thousand euros. In April of that year, electronic communication among sales company employees holds the note: Gazim Kapar Mobile Coast, amount, 21,000 euros. The company in question provides many similar bills in a short period of time.

Gazim Bregu, owner of Egeu Stone Company, first denied and made the indictee. Then, after the prosecution seized documents in his company, he admitted to performing numerous renovation works at the villa in Hamallaj with the excuse: “because the works were scandalous and needed restoration”. The villa was equipped with pools, and the work was performed in a record time of three months. A stone was bought in Crewe for the court's clothing and everything else.

In total, the company is allegedly paying at least 137 thousand euros in production and maternity production. The prosecution reveals that the company in question has been engaged in the country's reconstruction process following the November 29th 2019 earthquake, which was monitored by Arben Ahmetaj as deputy prime minister.

“ ... turns out this society is involved in the reconstruction process, at the time when the minister of reconstruction has been citizen Arben Ahmetaj,” the prosecution stresses. “From preliminary verifications has resulted that Egeu Stone's association has benefited at least 9 (nine) tenders in the Reconstruction Process in the period from 10.2020 to 08.2022. In these tenders, the Egeu Stone society has been participating as a union of economic operators. The value of these procurement procedures is at 2,065,195,775.5, or approximately 16.8m euros,” says the prosecution.

The prosecution appears to be investigating where the renovation money came from and noticed that Egeu Stone made sale to A. E The distribution, the company of Gerian Kukes, is worth some 13 million new dollars. The prosecution does not explain the nature of this transaction.

In May 2023, Gazim Bregu has gone to Judiciary Police to deliver a statement saying that the work he has performed at the villa in Hamallaj is worth 137 thousand euros and that this is an unfreed bill from the errand.

The prosecution says it has managed to prove that the villa has effectively been under the control of Ahmetaj and his co-existence since 2018, when Zoro ordered it, while later transactions have been made with the aim of hiding the real resource of property, citizens Klodian Zoto. The prosecution notes Ahmetaj's actions constitute the criminal act of corruption, while in co-operation with the co-existenceer, it seems to be responsible for money laundering and false property statements.

“The entire performance as a shift to citizen Gerian Kuka and then to Erjola Hoxha has been done with the sole goal of covering the origin,” prosecutors say.

“... from managed data, there is reasonable doubt, based on evidence that the Vila Sapire No. 22, is the product of the corruption criminal act, provided by citizens Mirel Meriri and Klodian Zoto, citizens Arben Ahmetaj. The latter, through its recognition, has organised a clear money laundering scheme aimed at covering the true origin of this property,” prosecutors Altin Daman and Enkelede Milonai write.

Asked by prosecutors, Ahmetaj said he was unaware of the villa because it was Erjola's and her family. He was unaware of what the work was made and how it was paid.

Erjola Hoxha claims the villa in Hamallaj bought for 220 thousand euros, using 900,000 euros saved in years and 130 thousand euros in revenue from the sale of a parents' apartment.