"Veliaj, responsible for '5D'"/ Bardhi: The affair is not closed with some directors

2024-04-02 09:31:00, Politikë CNA

"Veliaj, responsible for '5D'"/ Bardhi: The affair is not

The vice-president of the DP, Gazment Bardhi

The vice-president of the DP, Gazment Bardhi, requested investigations for the mayor Erion Veliaj regarding the arrests of the directors of the Municipality of Tirana, for the "5D" file.

Bardhi said that Veliaj's responsibility in this affair should not be hidden, where the directors received millions of euros from taxes, by awarding municipal tenders to their company.

He stated in an interview with Alba Alishan that the mayor is the holder of the contracting authority and has the duty to supervise every tendering procedure.

Bardhi stated that it cannot be closed with some directors or former directors, so the investigations must be deepened.

"What worries me as an oppositionist is that it is unimaginable for the prosecution to say that 5 directors, subordinates of Erion Veliaj, have built a scheme that takes money from the municipality's budget to companies through tenders, to companies owned by them and the chairman of the municipality not to have known anything.

The mayor is the holder of the contracting authority according to the law. Even if he has delegated this competence, he has the duty to supervise every tendering procedure and above all to get information about the companies that will work in the Municipality of Tirana.

So, the fact that the 5 directors received money from the state budget and took it to the company in their name, through the official tenders of the municipality of Tirana, absolutely brings legal responsibility for the mayor.

I expect from SPAK and this is my appeal to go to the end of the case. Investigations are ongoing to my knowledge. If they think that the affairs of millions of euros of the misuse of the budget of the Municipality of Tirana, or of the misuse of the state budget, will be closed with some directors or former directors, they are seriously mistaken.

We cannot hide the responsibility of the mayor by arresting them, they are ordinary thieves, because they took the municipal officials and took them to their own house, while the citizens of Tirana entrusted Erion Veliaj with the keys and guarantees to preserve the budget of the municipality of Tirana, they did not trust these directors", he said.

When asked if it could be described as backbiting, the DP vice-president emphasized that this has zero chance of happening.

"There is zero chance, this is a theory of completely avoiding responsibility, be it political, moral, or legal. Even the prime minister cannot say the minister did it behind my back, because according to the constitution, the prime minister supervises the activities of every minister", underlined Bardhi./ CNA