The detail that "sinks" Veliaj/ Ola Xama breaks down the key points in the SPAK file

2023-12-11 15:23:00, Aktualitet CNA

The detail that "sinks" Veliaj/ Ola Xama breaks down the key points in

The mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj

Journalist Ola Xama has analyzed some key points from the SPAK file on the Tirana incinerator, where the mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj is implicated in the affair.

Ola Xama has stopped at the financing for waste disposal in the Tirana incinerator concession project.

The Special Prosecutor's Office says that the representatives of the Municipality of Tirana raised the concern about not meeting the costs on September 20, 2016, but on March 27, 2017, the mayor Erion Veliaj took over the financing.

The journalist declares that Veliaj has signed a letter in violation of the law, without consulting other municipalities, but emphasizes that it was considered a violation only by the Ministry of Environment.

Xama underlines that "Veliaj's letter was treated as a procedural routine only in the approval of the Feasibility Study and not as a document that paves the way for the financing of the project, money for which he did not have and taking responsibility for a local unit that did not belong to him expressed".

Full statement:

There are some very interesting points in the SPAK file for the Tirana incinerator investigations:

- In the meeting of 20.9.2016, the representatives of the Municipality of Tirana raised the problem of the lack of income in the municipality to cover the costs of implementing the project, it is stated in the arguments of the Prosecutor's Office. The cleaning fee collected by the municipality was not enough to even cover the expenses that the Municipality of Tirana had until that moment, and they requested the possibility of financing 100% of the waste disposal costs, not only for them but also for other municipalities of Tirana District, at least for 4 years.

The detail that "sinks" Veliaj/ Ola Xama breaks down the key points in

- So, until September 2016, they had no money to pay, but on March 27, 2017, the financing money was found and taken over by the Municipality of Tirana with a letter signed by the Mayor Erjon Veliaj himself. 7 months later, it seems that some economic miracle has happened!

- The Special Prosecutor's Office has verified with the municipalities of the Tirana District whether they have been contacted and agreed to enter into an agreement to deposit waste in the Tirana incinerator concession project. But it has not found any documentation. The earliest correspondence was that of Kavaja Municipality with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy in December 2017, a few months after the concession contract was signed.

The detail that "sinks" Veliaj/ Ola Xama breaks down the key points in

- But who is responsible for this according to the file? Ministry of Environment! The procedural path shown by the investigation for the Tirana incinerator is this: the Ministry of Finance requests the Ministry of Environment's approval for the project from the entire District of Tirana. The Mayor of Tirana agrees with the Feasibility Study presented by the Ministry of Environment. The Minister of Environment re-sends the request to the Ministry of Finance and receives approval 'without comment', with the condition that approval is also obtained from other municipalities of the district for this project.

- So, Erjon Veliaj's decision to take over the financing, in violation of the law and without consulting other municipalities, is considered a violation by the Ministry of Environment! Veliaj's letter is treated as a procedural routine only in the approval of the Feasibility Study and not as a document that paves the way for the financing of the project, money for which he did not have and taking responsibility for a local unit that did not belong to him!

The detail that "sinks" Veliaj/ Ola Xama breaks down the key points in

- At the end of this procedure, the Special Prosecutor's Office finds that the Feasibility Study has inaccuracies, the same ones found by an audit report of the High State Control. Now who has the responsibility for giving the approval of a wrong Feasibility Study, only the Ministry of Environment and Finance or the Municipality of Tirana? Tusha and Simixhiu gave the agreement for this, or the mayor himself?!/ CNA