SPAK sends 5 citizens for trial on charges of vote buying

2025-08-04 17:54:00, Aktualitet CNA

SPAK has decided this Monday to send for trial 5 citizens, who are accused of buying votes in the 2023 local elections in the Municipality of Rrogozhina.

The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime submitted to the Special Court of First Instance the request for trial of criminal case no. 161 of 2023, against the following citizens: Limon Shala, Fatmir Thaçi, Florant Saraçi, Engjell Cara, Shkëlqim Hoxha.

At the conclusion of the investigations conducted, based on evidence and legal analysis, it resulted that:

Citizens Engjell Cara, Limon Shala, Fatmir Thaçi and Florant Saraçi have been charged with committing the criminal offense of "Active corruption in elections", committed in collaboration and more than once, provided for by articles 328, 25 and 50, letter "h" of the Criminal Code.

Citizen Shkëlqim Hoxha is accused of the criminal offense of "Failure to report a crime", provided for by Article 300 of the Criminal Code.

Investigations showed that these citizens, in collaboration with each other, have provided and offered prepaid travel tickets to various persons (documented in 64 cases), in order to vote in favor of the candidate, Shkëlqim Hoxha, in the 2023 local elections in the Municipality of Rrogozhina.

It also emerged that citizen Shkëlqim Hoxha was aware of this illegal activity, more specifically that citizens Fatmir Thaçi and Limon Shala were engaged in providing and offering travel tickets to various persons, with the aim of participating in the elections and casting votes in his favor, due to his quality as a candidate of the Democratic Party for the Municipality of Rrogozhina. He did not report it to the competent authorities, in violation of the legal provisions in force, specifically Article 300 of the Criminal Code.

Criminal proceeding no. 161/2023 has been joined with criminal proceeding no. 162/2023, being investigated as a single case, due to the coincidence of the facts and subjects under investigation.

The registration of the proceedings was made based on referrals forwarded by the investigative structures at the Durrës Local Police Directorate. /CNA