"One of the government's godfathers also won at the Aruba meeting"/ Këlliçi: The procedure for Milot–Balldren should be canceled

2026-07-21 17:40:00, Aktualitet CNA

"One of the government's godfathers also won at the Aruba

The Vice President of the Democratic Party, Belind Këlliçi, stated in a statement that the contract for the Milot-Balldren axis, with an initial cost of 365 million euros, was won by a group of companies that includes "Erald-G", owned by Gëzim Ismail.

Këlliçi describes the latter as "one of the government's godfathers at the infamous Aruba meeting" and says that he is being investigated by SPAK for laundering the money of one of the cocaine trafficking clans from Latin America to Europe.

He adds that the DP demands the cancellation of this procedure and calls on SPAK to immediately seize this company and investigate hundreds of tenders won by it.

Full statement:

The 35-year concession contract for the Milot-Balldren axis, worth 365 million euros, initial cost, we emphasize initial, since as we have seen so many times, costs inflate along the way, and with a guaranteed profit of around 1 billion euros, has been handed over to a business consortium, led by Pëllumb Salillari's company and which, among other companies, includes the company 'Erald-G', owned by Gëzim Ismaili, one of the government's godfathers at the infamous Aruba meeting.

This individual, according to the SPAK investigative file, is being investigated as one of the money laundering machines of one of the cocaine trafficking clans from Latin America to Europe.

In the SPAK file, it turns out that Ismaili is the brother-in-law of Luciano Koçek, one of the exponents of the 'Aruba' group, and has served as a facade through which criminal money has been integrated into construction projects, including the legalization of millions of euros.

The facts speak for themselves. On June 10, 2026, the Special Court imposed security measures on 19 people from the so-called 'Aruba Group', suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering through investments in Albania. Among them is Gëzim Ismaili, the owner of 'Erald-G', whose partner is under house arrest for 'laundering the proceeds of crime' and 'structured criminal group'.

But what SPAK continues to hide is the fact that this company has been declared the winner in at least 217 tender procedures and in the last 6 years alone, has benefited from over 6 million euros of money from the state budget.

This company has not only not been placed under seizure by SPAK, but is today in the winning consortium of the most expensive tender in the history of Albanian road infrastructure, a procedure that began in August 2025, under the leadership of Belinda Balluku, now accused of violating equality in tenders and corruption.

The question that arises is quite simple.

How is it possible that under the nose and eyes of SPAK, while these companies linked to organized crime are under investigation by SPAK, they benefit from contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros from public funds?!

The Democratic Party demands the immediate CANCELLATION of this procedure, as Albanian money cannot be used to launder drug and organized crime money, from Ecuador to Aruba.

We call on SPAK to immediately seize this company and investigate hundreds of tenders it has benefited from since the day "Rilindja" came to power.

As for Edi Rama; your time is up.

You are now caught red-handed taking the money you stole from the poorest citizens in Europe outside of Albania through your family members, and you will not continue to use Albanian money to launder the money of the most notorious cartels in the world.

Neither the justice system you control nor the media you pay for can serve you anymore.

Your fate is already written.

You, along with your organized crime partners, must leave and pave the way for a caretaker government, as demanded by the citizen protest that has filled Tirana's main boulevard for 50 days.

Only the resignation and departure of Edi Rama will return public investments to the hands of citizens and put Albania on the path towards European integration, with real standards and reforms. /CNA