The mayor hands over 7,308 properties to a private company, suspicions of robbery with official seal

2026-06-20 10:27:00, Denoncim CNA

The mayor hands over 7,308 properties to a private company, suspicions of

The Democratic Party has denounced a tender held by the Himara Municipality for the management of properties in several villages in the area, raising suspicions of favoring private interests and the risk of violating the rights of owners.

In a statement to the media, the spokesperson for Anti-Corruption in the Democratic Party, Genta Vangjeli, said that the process is not simply an administrative procedure, but an operation that could affect the fate of thousands of properties in Himara.

According to her, the Municipality of Himara has announced the winner of a tender worth over 500 thousand euros, with the objective of managing properties in several areas of the municipality, the company "EC PRO PARTNERS" shpk. The company will carry out the initial systematic registration of assets and the creation of a database for about 7308 properties in Çorraj, Fterrë, Gjilekë, Kallarat, Pilur and Himara.

Vangjeli stated that a private company will have an important role in the property registration process in one of the most coveted areas of the Albanian coast, raising questions about transparency and guarantees for the protection of private property.

The DP also claims that the winning company has been a partner in previous projects with the company "Gjikuria" shpk, arguing that this situation raises suspicions of possible favoritism in the property administration process.

According to the opposition, the tender documentation acknowledges the existence of problems with the maps, cadastral maps and property registrations in the area. For this reason, the DP believes that the process should remain under the control of the responsible state institutions and not be delegated to a private entity.

The Democratic Party has demanded full transparency for the procedure, immediate verification of the process, and legal guarantees that no property of the residents of Himara will be alienated or manipulated in favor of private interests.

"What is happening today in Himara is not simply an administrative procedure but a well-organized operation that risks placing the fate of thousands of properties belonging to local residents in the hands of private interests."

Under the leadership of Vangjel Tavo, the Municipality of Himara has announced the winner of a tender worth over 500 thousand euros, with the objective of 'property management' in several villages of Himara.

The documents show that the private company will carry out the initial systematic registration of properties, and also create a database for about 7,308 properties in Çorraj (944 properties), Fterë (528), Gjilekë (962), Kallarat (750), Pilur (391) and Himarë (3,733).

In short, a private company will have a dominant role in the process that determines who owns and who doesn't in one of Albania's most coveted areas.

The winning company has previously been a partner in multi-million euro projects with 'Gjikuria' shpk, a name known for its large construction and property interests on the south coast.

This raises serious doubts about a scheme that could be used to favor government clients at the expense of legitimate owners.

The Himara Municipality itself admits in the tender documentation that there are major problems with the cards, cadastral maps or property registrations as many families end up with properties registered in different cadastral zones and that the administration does not have the necessary capacities to solve these problems.

But instead of the state strengthening responsible institutions and guaranteeing the protection of private property, it hands this process over to a private company. This is not a solution, this is a dangerous recipe for manipulation.

In Himara, where a battle over property has been taking place for years and where residents have repeatedly denounced attempts to alienate, rob, and appropriate land, such a decision cannot be considered a coincidence.

The question is simple:

Who will benefit from this process? The residents of Himara or the oligarchs and clients of power, including Edi Rama himself?

The Democratic Party demands full transparency for this process, immediate verification and legal guarantees that no property of Himara residents will become the object of manipulation in favor of private interests. Himara is not the property of Vangjel Tavo or Edi Rama.

Himara is the home of the Himarjots and their properties cannot be placed at the service of the interests of the government and its clients. The time of property theft with the seal of institutions must end", denounces Vangjeli./ CNA