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VOA: Duman discovered the schemes of international criminal organizations

2024-05-22 22:46:21, Aktualitet CNA

VOA: Duman discovered the schemes of international criminal organizations

The Special Prosecutor's Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime reported today to two committees of the Assembly about disturbing criminal markets and active groups in large territories from Tirana, Durres, Vlora and Gjirokastra to Fieri, Shkodra, Elbasan, Kurbini and Fushë Kruja.

The most frequent crimes are murders, drug trafficking, trading of weapons, explosives and stolen cars for criminal events, as well as corruption of law enforcement officers.

The head of the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, Altin Dumani, informed the deputies that in Tirana and some coastal cities, these criminal groups deal mainly with laundering illegal money.

"Organized crime money laundering, investing in movable and immovable assets remains the main way of laundering money in Albania, especially in apartments, buildings and service units in Tirana and tourist areas such as Vlora, Durres and Lezha. Also, a significant amount of money is suspected to be deposited in bank accounts in the names of commercial companies or relatives of the suspects," said Mr. Dumani.

He made these comments during a hearing with the Laws Committee and the National Security Committee of the Assembly, where an annual report on the activity of this institution was submitted.

While registering 299 new proceedings, the Special Prosecutor's Office investigated 750 criminal proceedings, more than half carried over from the previous year. The statistics of this institution show only an increase in investigative and punitive work against organized crime and corruption.

Mr. Dumani emphasized that the Special Prosecutor's Office investigated 863 materials, for which 7 out of every 8 files decided to initiate the investigation, and even significantly increased the initiation of investigations mainly on its own initiative.

He asked for the addition of prosecutors because the work in this institution has increased enough, that criminality has entered a stage of sophistication and technology, while he proposed that the mandate of prosecutors should be renewed, in order to go to the end of court cases .

One of the money laundering schemes in Albania involves the use of Albanian banks and businesses as intermediaries for international criminal organizations, such as the Italian mafia, said Mr. Dumani, while highlighting an operation in this field.

VOA: Duman discovered the schemes of international criminal organizations

"In one case, an Albanian business cooperated to give access to representatives of the international mafia to integrate criminal income in the banking sector for the stratification of transfers, which would then be transferred abroad with the help of the local business. The very good cooperation with the second level banks and the FIU - now the Financial Supervision Agency, made this operation of criminal groups fail", said Mr. Dumani.

The head of the Special Prosecution said that 41 million euros of illegal assets were seized in one year, after 22 property investigations were carried out.

He said that GJKKO has made 20 decisions for the confiscation of 4 real estates, 11 movable assets as well as money in cash, and 9 high-level officials have been punished. For corruption, 909 criminal proceedings have been registered so far and wiretapping has increased significantly, as well.

According to him, 3 proceedings were registered for terrorism, mainly for supporting violence through the Internet.

On the other hand, the Special Prosecutor's Office has sent 122 requests to judicial authorities abroad for issues of corruption and organized crime. There is also an increase in requests for extradition and for the declaration of internationally wanted persons.

VOA: Duman discovered the schemes of international criminal organizations

"The investigations of 2023 show that criminal groups are involved in the international market of trafficking hard drugs, having and controlling the traffic in closed cycles and having a dominant position in the countries of origin of the cocaine traffic. These criminal groups are also active in international criminal markets, mainly in South America, the European Union, Great Britain as well as in the region," said Mr. Dumani.

The Special Prosecutor's Office has initiated 97 requests for trial with 547 defendants for organized crime and corruption.

Meanwhile, 79 court decisions have been executed and 269 defendants have been sentenced, 160 of them in prison, or as much as 60% of them.

The head of the Special Prosecutor's Office, Altin Dumani, said that the cooperation of the police with crime is a reality, describing as screaming the fact that while thousands of police officers sacrifice daily in the face of crime, some police leaders have turned out to be connected to organized crime, among them , the former director of the operational unit, several heads of police stations or crime chiefs.

VOA: Duman discovered the schemes of international criminal organizations

Even prosecutors and judges have not escaped prosecution by the Special Prosecutor's Office. The Special Prosecutor's Office investigated 4 former magistrates, who were dismissed from the vetting process, and 2 former magistrates were convicted.

Also, a prosecutor on duty was arrested and a judge on duty was prosecuted by SPAK, whose leaders are aware that even those judges and prosecutors who have successfully passed the vetting process are not immune from corruption.

The Special Prosecutor's Office has been at the center of accusations from a part of the opposition, but Mr. Dumani said that this prosecutor's office is deaf to any pressure or political attacks./ VOA





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