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Investigation/ '5D Construction' company, corrupt affairs in the municipality of Tirana

2024-03-06 21:57:00, Denoncim Julian Hoxhaj

Investigation/ '5D Construction' company, corrupt affairs in the

The use of political power to enrich oneself by public officials is already a long history of unpunished corruption.

Tonight, the Plug show will bring the history of the company '5 D construction', which was created after Erion Veliaj came to the municipality of Tirana, thus becoming one of the main companies that wins tenders in this institution. But the shadows of the scandal weigh more on the fact that, behind this company, it is suspected that one of the subordinates of Erion Veliajt, the former head of IMT, Mariglen Qato, stands.

Upon coming to the head of the Municipality of Tirana, in the summer of 2015, Erion Veliaj started the restructuring of the administration, appointing a series of subordinates, who would be his closest collaborators.

One of them was Mariglen Qato, who, until the arrival of the socialists in power, had a bakery together with his family.

Mariglen Qato, was first appointed as Director of Public Works Directorate No. 2 and then as Department Director at Tirana Waterworks. In these positions, Mariglen Qato remained until 2018, when Erion Veliaj entrusted him with the position of Chief Inspector of the Territory of Tirana Municipality, a position he held until after the elections of May 14, 2023.

During this period, Mariglen Qato became one of the close people of Erion Veliaj, since under his firm, Nico, thousands of citizens' homes were demolished, in the New Ring, '5 Maji', 'Myslym Keta', where to this day these families are still homeless. Also, during the time that Mariglen Qato was the head of the IMT, the National Theater Building and many other cultural objects were demolished, paving the way for the concretization of Tirana and the disappearance of its historical memory... Although lawsuits have been filed against him numerous, even having arrest requests from the Prosecutor's Office, Mariglen Qato has managed to bring him to justice, and recently he was appointed by Erion Veliaj to head the company Tirana DC SHA, another company with a shadow of suspicion for abuses, but which deserves attention in another show…

As since 2015, Mariglen Qato has been and continues to be among the close collaborators of Erion Velialjt, in parallel with his career in the municipality of Tirana, the company '5 D Konstruksion' has grown and developed, behind which it is suspected that Mariglen is hiding Qato and other directors.

In the program, we will unravel the threads that connect Mariglen Qaton with the company '5 D Konstruksion', giving answers to the following questions:

How was this company created?

Who are the individuals who founded this company?

What connects them to Mariglen Qaton?

How was this company financed?

How did the company '5 D Konstruksion' manage, from a company with zero experience in the field of construction and with frequent changes of name and ownership, to simultaneously become a reliable company for many public institutions, including the municipality of Tirana, which trusted millions euro tenders exactly under the above conditions?

Is it exactly behind all these actions, the owner of the company '5 D Construction', Mariglen Qato?

The company '5 D Construction' was founded on January 21, 2016. It was registered at the National Business Center with the initial name 'Igor Elektrik', while the sole shareholder of this company was citizen Eduard Meta. This citizen, from the data collected by the show 'Plug', it turns out that he knows and is friends with Mariglen Qaton.

This is only the first clue, which raises the suspicion that the former head of IMT, Mariglen Qato, used his friend, that is Eduard Meta, to establish a construction company, starting after he was appointed to a public position in Municipality of Tirana.

A year after the foundation, although with a positive financial balance, Eduard Meta sells 75% of the company's shares to citizen Muhamet Petriti for only 75 ALL. The sale of shares was made while the company had managed to have a turnover of 760 thousand dollars in the first year of operation.

The contract for the sale of shares was made on January 27, 2017, but was filed with the national business center a year later.

There is no information if Eduard Meta and Muhamet Petriti have direct acquaintance between them, but their common connection is Mariglen Qato since Muhamet Petriti, it turns out, is the father-in-law of Mariglen's brother, Alfred Qato.

After becoming the main shareholder of the company '5 D Konstruksion', Muhamet Petriti appoints Nestor Muhametlar, an engineer by profession, who previously worked as an engineer in other construction companies, as administrator of the company. In 2018, Muhamet Petriti also buys 25% of the remaining shares owned by Eduard Meta, becoming the sole shareholder of the company '5 D Konstruksion'.

Muhamet Petriti, a baker by profession, at the same time the father-in-law of Mariglen Qato's brother, in December 2018, became a shareholder with 100% of the capital of the company '5 D Konstruksion.

Three years after becoming a shareholder with 100% of the capital of the company, Muhamet Petriti on March 10, 2021, sells the company to his subordinate Nestor Muhametllari. Muhamet Petriti sells the company at a time when, during four years, it had realized a turnover of 9 million euros, and a profit of more than two million euros.

TURNING TABLE

For 2017 Annual Turnover (LEK) 175,231,613.00

For 2018 Annual Turnover (LEK) 69,365,321.00

For 2019 Annual Turnover (LEK) 306 720 989.00

For 2020: Annual Turnover (LEK) 419,899,866.00

As he had secured these profits, in March 2021, Muhamet Petriti surprisingly sells the shares of the company for the value of 10 thousand euros, his subordinate, Nestor Muhametllari. At this point, the question arises because the sale value of the shares is very low in relation to the company's income generation.

Nestor Muhametllari bought the company for only 10 thousand euros, while a few months after becoming the sole shareholder of the company '5 D Konstruksion', he benefited from this company 356 thousand euros, as a dividend for 2020.

Simply put, he bought it for 10,000 euros to gain 356,000 euros with a net profit of 346,000 euros in a few months, showing a generous gesture to Muhamet Petriti.

This is a big question mark, and it remains a mystery what prompted Muhamet Petriti to sell a company with such profits, giving up hundreds of thousands of euros, which he forgave his subordinate!

Muhamet Petriti, not only forgave 350 thousand euros of the company's profits for 2020 to his subordinate Nestor Muhametllari, but at the same time forgave him a construction permit for a building signed by Erion Veliaj.

It is about an 8-9 storey building, with two underground parking floors, for which a secondary address was registered on March 11, 2021. Then, the company '5 D Konstruksion' obtained two more permits. construction as an investor and builder, one in front of Klan National Television, where the brothers Mariglen and Alfred Qato had their house. This construction permit was granted in 2022, while starting after the elections of May 14, 2023, the company '5 D Construction' received another construction permit, on the street 'Zenel Bastari', in unit No. 8 for the construction of a building residential and service, 4 and 9 floors with 2 floors of underground parking.

The economic activity of the company 5 D Construction

The company '5 D Konstruksion' managed to achieve economic success in the first year of its activity. According to the data of the National Business Center, from the balance sheets of the company, it appears that it had an increasing turnover reaching its maximum in 2022 with a total turnover of 670,291,514 ALL.

Turnover and profit table by year

Year ROUND OWNER

2016 76,945,004 Edward Meta

2017 175 231 613 Muhamet Petriti/Eduard Meta

2018 69 365 321 Muhamet Petriti/ Eduard Meta

2019 306 720 989 Muhamet Petriti

2020 419 899 866 Muhamet Petriti

2021 507,745,585 Nestor Muhametllari

2022 670,291,514 Nestor Muhametllari

In total, from 2016 to 2022, the company '5 D Konstruksion' has an income from sales amounting to 2,157,199,892 or about 20 million euros. The main source of income of this company, it turns out, were public tenders.

According to the data of Open Data Albania, the company '5 D Konstruksion' has benefited from at least 45 public tenders, where in 5 cases it participated as a sole economic operator, while in 40 others it was in cooperation with other companies.

The main institutions that have awarded public tenders to this company, whose value exceeds 25 million euros, are: Tirana Municipality, other institutions under the Tirana Municipality, the Albanian Road Authority, etc.

Let's take a closer look at these tenders. As we pointed out, in only 5 cases, the company '5 D Konstruksion', received tenders as the only one in the competition.

These tenders, with a total value of about 850 thousand euros, the company '5 D Konstruksion', have all benefited from the Municipality of Tirana, during the time when the company was run by the father-in-law of Mariglen Qato's brother, Petrit Muhameti.

One of these tenders is the case of the 'Construction of the Pedestrian and bicycle crossing in the dry lake, worth about 580 thousand euros including VAT, a project which was denounced by Belind Këlliçi during the local elections of 2023, which until that period it wasn't over yet.

In 40 other cases, the company '5 D Konstruksion', has benefited from public tenders as a union of operators.

Let's take a closer look at some of the tenders that this company has won, together with other companies, precisely from the municipality of Tirana and its affiliated institutions, such as the Tirana Water and Sewer company, where Mariglen Qato, Redi Molla and Elvin Tivari.

On October 24, 2016, '5 D Konstruksion' wins the tender worth 47 thousand euros, procured by the Tirana water and sewerage company, with the object of building a water reservoir in Daias.

On March 3, 2017, '5 D Konstruksion' won another tender from Tirana Water and Sewerage, with the object of building the water supply on 'Sulejman Pasha' street and 'Ded Gjo Luli' street. The value of this tender was 140 thousand euros.

On February 23, 2017, '5 D Konstruksion' won the tender with UKT for 'Reconstruction of the waste water collector on the street 'Shyqyri Demneri' and reconstruction of the water supply. The value of this tender was around 100 thousand euros.

On December 6, 2018, '5 D Konstruksion', together with the companies DELIA IMPEX and RRUGA URA N2 Elbasan, won the tender for Reconstruction and fencing of pumping stations and water storages in the regional water supply, phase II. The value of this tender was 330 thousand euros carried out by the Tirana Water and Sewerage Company.

On October 17, 2018, '5 D Konstruksion' won another tender from the Waterworks of Tirana, worth about 430 thousand euros, with the object of construction of the transmission lines Hec Lanabregas-Takimi i Tubi.

On May 21, 2020, '5 D Konstruksion' together with BE-IS, the company that was involved in the affair of the mayor of Bulqiza Lefter Alla and the company METEO, won the tender worth almost 1.1 million euros for the construction of the sewerage network in Durrës street. This tender was also procured by the Municipality of Tirana.

On October 11, 2021, the Tirana water and sewerage company awarded another tender worth almost 30 million lek to the company '5 D Construction' with the object 'Construction of a sewerage network in the block bounded by the streets: 'Adem Sina', 'Hiqmet Buzi', Sauk'

In 2021, the company '5 D Konstruksion' wins one of the big tenders from the water supply of Tirana, worth about 7.7 million euros with the construction object Pipeline Transmission Pressure Base - Tunnel - Partitar - Depot Daias'.

These are just some of the tenders that the water and sewerage company in Tirana has awarded to the company '5 D Konstruksion', whose owner is suspected to be Mariglen Qato. But from the municipality of Tirana, this company has also received tenders worth several million euros.

On November 15, 2021, '5 D Konstruksion', won the tender for the construction of the pedestrian and bicycle lane in Lake Thata. The value of this tender was around 500 thousand euros. In 2023, the candidate for mayor of Tirana, Belind Këlliçi, denounced this project, as during the electoral meetings in that period, he found that the bicycle lane had not yet been completed.

On May 5, 2021, the municipality of Tirana signs another tender for the company '5 D Konstruksion', worth about 1.7 million euros, with the object of rebuilding two educational facilities in this municipality and the construction of the 9-year-old Dritas school.

Earlier, in 2019, '5 D Konstruksion' had benefited from the municipality of Tirana, a tender worth about 1.5 million euros without VAT, for the construction of the segment on the Mullet roundabout to the bridge of the village of Qeha.

Another tender, of high value, is the one given by the municipality of Tirana to the company '5 D Konstruksion', with the object 'Rehabilitation of the Kinostudio center'. This tender, awarded on November 16, 2022, is worth 3.4 million euros without VAT.

The construction of the "Hasan Vogli" school in Tirana has cost this municipality about 235 million Lek excluding VAT. Even this tender, awarded on September 30, 2020, was won at that time by the company '5 D Konstruskion'.

The climax was reached with the tender, with a total value of about 700 thousand euros, where the municipality of Tirana entrusted the company '5 D Konstruskion' with the demolition of 22 buildings due to the reconstruction program. One of them was the complex of buildings in 'Mylym Keta', a process carried out last year during the local elections. In that period, where families were taken out into the streets, even the company '5 D Konstruksion', cut off the lights and water in the middle of the night while a family had a corpse at home, the denunciation was made by Belind Kelliçi.

These are just some of the 45 tenders with a total value of around 30 million euros, that the company '5 D Construction' has won during the period of its activity. The tenders were received mainly from the municipality of Tirana, but there are also other institutions such as OST, OSHE, Durrës Municipality, Lushnje, the Albanian Road Authority and other institutions that have entrusted public work to the company '5 D Konstruskion.

In 2021, when Mariglen Qato was still Chief Inspector of the Territory Protection Inspectorate in the Municipality, Erion Veliaj entrusted the company '5 D Konstruksion', two tenders with a total value of about 700 thousand euros, for the demolition of at least 22 buildings that were included by reconstruction project.

Among the buildings that the company '5 D Konstrucsio' demolished, was the complex at 'Myslym Keta', where it intervened violently, not even respecting the mortuary that a family had the night that the policemen went to demolish the buildings.

Public tenders seem to have served this company to increase its financial portfolio, as from 2021, '5 D Konstruksion', has started investing in the construction sector.

As we mentioned above. On March 11, 2021, the company '5 D Konstruksion', starts the works based on the construction permit granted by Erion Veliaj. It is about the street 'Joklin Persi', in Yzberisht, where according to the data, '5 D Konstruksion' has built a residential and service building of 8 and 9 floors, with two floors of parking on the ground.

On April 14, 2022, this company receives another construction permit, this time on 'Kahreman Ylli' street in Kinostudio, for the construction of a residential and service building of 7 and 8 floors with 2 floors of underground parking.

The third building permit for '5 D Construction' will be granted just a few weeks after the local elections on May 14, 2023.

On June 14, 2023, the company '5 D Konstruksion' begins work on the street 'Zenel Bastari', for the construction project of a residential and service building of 4 and 9 floors with 2 more residential floors underground.

The company '5 D Construction' has reflected all these construction permits in a Management Progress report for 2022. In this report, photos from the public works that this company has carried out over the years, including the construction of schools, roads, substations, are published. electricity or other investments.

One of the projects that is presented at the top of the report is that of 'CROËN PLAZA DUR?S'. This project is an investment of 'MEDITERRANEAN INVESTMENT GROUP:. Shareholders of this company are:

24% ETITUR - 100% ELVIN TIVARI

24% DAKTUR- 51% DRITAN KADIU 49% ARJANA KADIU

24% RESTUR - 100% SELIM MOLA

27% LANDËAYS INTERNATIONAL - 100% GAZMEND HAXHIA

1% BLEDAR TIVARI

This investment worth 15 million euros deserves attention, as it shows state employees and their family members, while exercising public functions, also appear as investors in large financial sums, which are not justified by the declared income. Two of the investors of the luxury hotel in Durrës are Elvin Tivari, shareholder of ETITUR company and Selim Molla, sole shareholder of RESTUR company. Selim Molla turns out to be Redi Molla's father. the latter, along with Mariglen Qaton and Elvin Tivar, know each other, as they all worked in the Tirana water supply. Redi Moll was the director of the Tirana Waterworks, while Elvin Tivari was the procurement director at the Tirana Waterworks, which was directed by Redi Molla. Also, Mariglen Qato worked in Tirana's water supply for a short period.

Precisely, Elvin Tivari and Selim Molla, together with the other two shareholders, have entrusted the implementation of the construction project of the multi-million euro hotel in Durrës to the company '5 D Construction', behind which it is suspected that the friend of these citizens, Mariglen, is hiding. Calm down.

Elvin Tivari is the former Director of Prosecution at Ujësjella Kanalizime in Tirana, while later he was employed by the Tirana DC Society together with Redi Molla. Elvin Tivari, apart from being an official of the municipality of Tirana, also turns out to be the owner and co-owner of several companies, mainly in the field of hotels and services. He is a co-shareholder and investor with Fatos Malajan, in the luxury hotel 'La Brisa' in Dhërmi. Finally, Elvin Tivari and Fatos Malaj, the brother of former guard Agron Malaj, who is currently the mayor of Mati, have received another construction permit for 'La Brisa 2'. Elvin Tivari has invested about 600 thousand euros in this hotel, but from the balance sheets of his company, it turns out that there is no income to justify such an investment in Dhërmi.

Even Redi Molla's family company, RESTUR, participating in the 15 million euro investment of the luxury hotel in Durrës, seems to have no income to invest in this project. At least his RESTUR company is registered in the National Business Center in 2020. Since that year, the company of Redi Molla's family, friend of Elvin Tivar and Mariglen Qatos, has not even filed the balance sheets in the CKB and the historical extract shows that this company does not have any movement or change.

These are the threads that connect Mariglen Qato with the company '5 D Construction', which was created after Mariglen Qato took a public post in the municipality of Tirana. The people who created and continue to run this company have been Mariglen Qato's close family circle, the company has received dozens of public tenders only from the municipality of Tirana, generating millions of euros in turnover and profits.

Also, from the municipality of Tirana, this company has received 3 construction permits, while as we said above, two former colleagues of Mariglen Qatos, have given the company '5 D Construction' the implementation of the project of building a hotel with worth millions of euros in Durrës. All these data raise the suspicion that Mariglen Qato is behind the company '5 D Konstruksion' and not only Mariglen.

But the affairs do not stop there. Mariglen Qato has also been accused of nepotism in the municipality of Tirana. During the electoral campaign of 2023, Belind Këlliçi denounced the nepotistic employment of Mariglen Qato's family members in the institution that he himself is the director of. Elisabeta and Taulant Cjapi, respectively the sister-in-law and brother-in-law of Mariglen Qatos, are employed in the municipality, one as finance director in UKT and the other in the municipality. Mariglen Qato's brother, Klevis Qato, is also employed in the municipality. Also in the media, other cases have been reported, where it also turns out that some people, who are suspected to be his family members, were employed in the Territory Protection Inspectorate under the signature of Mariglen Qatos himself. In fact, the employment of Elisabeta Cjapi in the finance directorate shows that not only these people benefited from tenders from the institution where they worked, but they employed their family members in the sectors that made payments for the tenders that their companies won.

These citizens, Mariglen Qato, Elvin Tivari and Redi Molla, have been denounced by the leader of the opposition Sali Berisha that they have benefited from millions of tenders, while the communications between them were in a special application, where it is suspected that they were found also communications with Erion Veliaj.

Maringlen Qato, the company '5 D Konstruksion' and other officials have been criminally reported to SPAK, reported by the head of the group of experts at the Democratic Party, former MP Belind Kelliçi.

Until now, a series of investigative actions have been carried out from which some serious criminal facts have emerged, according to media reports: many trips of the directors of the municipality of Tirana with charters from Podgorica. These reports were made by government media such as 'Albania Post' by journalist Baton Haxhiu.

During the last weeks, different media in the country (we will insert screen shot media articles) have reported that SPAK has seized documents for Mariglen Qaton, Redi Molla and Elvin Tivar in connection with the activity of the company '5 D Construction'. But until now, there have been no concrete actions by SPAK to stop this corrupt activity of these citizens and they have not yet been interrogated.

As about a year has passed since the submission of the report to SPAK, it seems that the investigative actions, which are being carried out for the loyal directors of Erion Veliaj by the prosecutor Klodian Braho for the company '5 D Konstruksion', have also been administered data outside the territory of Skopje. But precisely at the height of these investigations, also according to what the leader of the opposition Sali Berisha has stated, that from the disassembly of a phone it was found that an application was built by this individual to communicate with each other, including the mayor Erion Veliajt , actual owner of the Tirana incinerator. The latter forced Mirel Mërtir to attack and accuse the prosecutor Klodian Braho in the show Çim Peka Live, which was broadcast a few months ago on siri television.

This statement of Mërtiri more than a denunciation, was open blackmail against the prosecutor, who today has in his hand one of the most serious files in terms of criminal offenses, which are suspected to have been committed precisely by the loyal directors of Erion Veliaj with his blessing . Clarification of the questions raised in the show would highlight a new scheme of abuse in the municipality of Tirana, where the mayor is directly involved in the affair of the incinerators, while his directors have had a free hand with public money, washing millions of euros through tenders given to their companies, money which was then widely used in the election campaign of 2023.../