Investigations of the Florence Prosecutor's Office on Toni Marinaj, CEC: We have started the verifications, we are waiting for a response from the Tirana Prosecutor's Office

2024-09-05 09:41:00, Aktualitet CNA

Investigations of the Florence Prosecutor's Office on Toni Marinaj, CEC: We

Tony Marinaj

8 years ago, in 2016, the head of the Municipality of Malësia e Madhe, Tonin Marinaj, was investigated by the Prosecutor's Office of Florence in Italy for having founded, encouraged and directed an organization of international proportions, based mainly in Tuscany, Venice, Udine and in Albania for marijuana trafficking. (read here)

CNA has secured the investigative file of the Florence Prosecutor's Office, where Tonin Marinaj is described as the "head" of the criminal gang. (read here)

In relation to this issue, CNA officially addressed the CEC on August 20 to obtain information on whether or not this institution has started the verification procedures for the socialist mayor Tonin Marinaj.

On September 2, the Central Election Commission, in its official response to CNA, clarified that on July 11, this institution decided to conduct an in-depth verification of Toni Marinaj and send the relevant data to the General Prosecutor's Office for further evaluation.

The CEC further underlines that the General Prosecutor's Office in relation to this subject has not yet sent the decision on the approval of the verification results.

"Regarding the information requested for Mr. Tonin Marinaj, we inform you that the information we have was sent through the postal service on 02.09.2024. We inform you that the letter has the following content: In response to your letter protocol no. 2487, dated 20.08.2024, with the subject "Request for the verification procedure of Mr. Tonin Marinaj", we inform you that the State Election Commissioner with decision no , dated 11.7.2024, has decided to conduct an in-depth verification of the self-declaring entity Mr. Tonin Zef Marinaj, Mayor of Malësi e Madhe Municipality, proposed by the electoral entity "Socialist Party of Albania" and to send the relevant data to the General Prosecutor's Office , for further assessment. The General Prosecutor's Office has not yet sent the decision on the approval of the verification results in relation to this subject", says the CEC's response.

The answer received from the CEC

GENESIS

Everything started after a denunciation made by the Democratic Party at the beginning of July, which asked the General Prosecutor's Office to verify the mayor of Malësë e Madhe, Tonin Marinaj, according to the decriminalization law. ( read here)

After the DP's request, the Central Election Commission also started the movements, which on July 11 decided to start the in-depth verification for the socialist mayor.

Regarding this request, there was no lack of reaction from Marinaj himself, who emphasized that everything is a shameful scenario and the accusations are fabricated and political. (read here)

We emphasize that even after these investigations, Tonin Marinaj cheated twice more in the self-declaration forms for the 2019 and 2021 local elections.

In both self-declaration forms, Tonin Marinaj has said that he has never been under investigation or trial by a foreign authority for any criminal offense. (read here)

CNA has tried several times to communicate with the socialist mayor, Tonin Marinaj, regarding this issue, but he has not answered our calls./ CNA