BIRN: Justice or revenge, the former Albanian prime minister faces accusations of corruption

2023-10-23 16:34:00, Aktualitet CNA

BIRN: Justice or revenge, the former Albanian prime minister faces accusations

On June 18, 2008, the Government of Albania, the Council of Ministers, headed at the time by Sali Berisha, proposed an amendment to the Sports Law.

The change allowed the privatization of sports facilities by the families of the former owners expropriated by the communist regime decades ago. In the explanatory note to the law, it was said that the change would help the sport in the country to develop at the highest level.

Fifteen years later, prosecutors claim this was one of several legal changes undertaken by Berisha's government to facilitate the development of a business in which he and his son-in-law, Jamarbër Malltezi, had a financial interest.

Prosecutors allege that they together secured around 5.4 million euros in bribes from the deal.

Berisha was accused of "passive corruption" along with Malltez on Saturday by the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK.

The accusations shocked the political scene in Albania. Malltezi was arrested while Berisha, 79, was ordered to report to the police and was banned from traveling abroad.

Berisha, a dominant figure in Albanian politics since 1992, dismissed the charges as politically motivated, claiming the prosecutors were under the control of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

He said SPAK's actions were the result of Rama's evil plans to finally destroy the center-right opposition and rule without competition.

"Edi Rama thinks that by exercising his persecution against me and arresting members of my family... at a moment when the opposition seems more determined than ever in the battle... to restore political plurality... and to save Albania from this narco-regime... that he can prevent the opposition's action,” Berisha told a press conference as representatives of the National Bureau of Investigation came to him to communicate the court order.

Prosecutors specifically say that Berisha changed the laws to facilitate the development of about 17 multi-story buildings and, through his son-in-law Jamarbër Malltezi, benefited 5.4 million euros from the construction.

Berisha is accused of having changed legal and bylaw acts and of exerting pressure on various officials. As a result of these actions, Malltezi became co-owner of the construction company 'Homeplan' - which built in the former sports complex 'Partizani' in Tirana, without investing any capital in it, the prosecutors point out.

The 256-page court decision, which BIRN has seen, details the alleged process.

Berisha i ka kundërshtuar akuzat duke pretenduar se procesi i privatizimit të tokës është nisur nga qeveria paraardhëse e ish-kryesministrit Fatos Nano dhe se disa vendime kyçe janë marrë nga Bashkia e Tiranës, kur vetë kryeministri aktual, Edi Rama ishte kryebashkiak.

Ai pohoi gjithashtu se dhëndri i tij po përndiqej vetëm pasi kishte denoncuar një tjetër skandal korrupsioni dhe se akuzat ishin një akt hakmarrjeje nga Rama.

Rama nuk e ka komentuar rastin deri në momentin e publikimit të këtij shkrimi.

Toka në fjalë ishte në pronësi të disa familjeve, të shpronësuara nën regjimin komunist pas Luftës së Dytë Botërore.

Në vitet 1970, Ministria e Mbrojtjes kishte ndërtuar objekte sportive në këtë tokë për ekipin e saj të futbollit, Partizani.

Pas rënies së regjimit, në vitin 1994 ish-pronarët kërkuan kthimin e tokës. Megjithatë, kjo nuk lejohej, pasi konsiderohej e shfrytëzuar për qëllime publike.

Ligji i miratuar nga parlamenti, në atë kohë i drejtuar nga Partia Demokratike, lejonte kthimin e pronës vetëm kur ajo ishte e lirë dhe ndërkohë ofronte një proces kompensimi, i cili nuk ndodhi kurrë.

Pronarët vazhduan të luftonin gjatë viteve për ta rimarrë tokën, pavarësisht nga një mori vështirësish, ku përfshihej fakti se duke qenë se i përkiste ekipit sportiv të Ministrisë së Mbrojtjes, konsiderohej një pasuri ushtarake.

Vështirësitë tejkalohen

Pengesat e jashtëzakonshme me të cilat u përballën ish-pronarët e kompleksit sportiv ‘Partizani’ – shumica e tyre të persekutuar nën regjimin komunist, gjatë tre dekadave të fundit për t’u kthyer ose kompensuar pronat e tyre, u kapërcyen në një periudhë mjaft të shkurtër kohore midis viteve 2006 dhe 2008.

Kjo pasi ata zgjodhën Jamarbër Malltezin si përfaqësues të tyre dhe i akorduan atij një tarifë kompensimi 3-5 për qind të pronës për shpenzimet e mundshme të bëra në procesin e marrjes së pronës.

Prokurorët vënë në dukje se agjencia shtetërore që trajtonte kërkesat e pronarëve të shpronësuar, e cila ishte e njohur për vonesat e saj, tani veproi me shpejtësi brenda disa muajsh për t’iu përgjigjur kërkesave, gjoja duke vepruar nën ndikimin e Malltezit.

Pronarëve më në fund iu rikthyen ambientet sportive dhe ky veprim u mundësua nga të paktën dy ndryshime ligjore të e propozuara nga qeveria e Berishës.

Kjo hapi rrugën për zhvillimin e tokës.

Pronarët e tokës arritën një marrëveshje zhvillimi me Homeplan Shpk, një kompani e themeluar në vitin 2008 nga Fatmir Bektashi, i cili gjithashtu zotëronte një pjesë të tokës si trashëgimtar. Kompania mori leje ndërtimi në vitet në vijim, me Bektashin të listuar ligjërisht si pronar i vetëm.

Megjithatë, në vitin 2018, kompania depozitoi një kontratë në Regjistrin Kombëtar të Bizneseve, të nënshkruar në vitin 2014, në të cilën Bektashi i shiste Malltezit 35 për qind të aksioneve për një vlerë nominale prej 35 mijë lekësh ose rreth 300 euro.

Prosecutors believe that this transaction was a way to transfer the profits to Malltez and indirectly to Berisha, as "payment" for the changes made in the laws, which had enabled the return and development of the property.

"The citizen JM is suspected of having, in cooperation with the citizen FB, committed the criminal offense of "Cleaning the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity", provided for by Article 287, second paragraph of the Criminal Code, presenting himself as an investor in the works for the construction of the block of housing, while it does not turn out to have invested", says the SPAK press release.

In this way, it is added further, Malltezi hid the origin by "receiving the monetary benefit in the amount of 672 976 832 lek or 5 420 345 euros, (illegal benefit) by presenting it as legal income secured from investment in economic activity" .

Anxiety about democracy in Albania

Berisha became involved in politics during Albania's transition from a communist regime to a multi-party democracy and in 1992 he was elected president. He was re-elected in 1996 but had to resign in 1997 as Albania descended into chaos following the collapse of a series of fraudulent pyramid schemes.

However, the centre-right Democratic Party led by him won the election in 2005, with an anti-corruption campaign promising 'clean hands', after which Berisha became prime minister until 2013. After losing the 2013 election Berisha resigned as head of the Democratic Party, but behind the scenes he held the reins of the party.

In 2021, the US sanctioned him as 'non grata', denouncing him as a politician involved in corruption. A similar decision was later taken by the United Kingdom. Berisha denied the accusations of the internationals.

Currently he is the 'de facto' leader of the opposition to the leftist government led by Edi Rama, although his coalition lost badly in the last local elections.

If found guilty of passive corruption, he risks four to 12 years in prison. Meanwhile, Edi Rama's government, mired in its own corruption scandals, appears to face no credible opposition – adding to anxiety about the health of democracy in Albania./BIRN