The Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) has officially requested authorization from the Assembly of the Republic of Albania to arrest the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Arben Ahmetaj, who is under investigation in relation to the incinerators’ case.

The document of the Special Prosecutor’s Office is now in the hands of the Assembly, but it is up to the Council of Mandates to allow the arrest of the Socialist deputy.

The document signed by Dumani underlines the need for the Assembly “to keep the secrecy of the investigation” and asks the procedure of going through documentations away from the public eye, as “investigations are ongoing on other people and facts”.

The head of the Assembly, Lindita Nikolla informed that the Council of Mandates will convene on Tuesday, at 16:00, where they will take SPAK’s request into consideration.

In an official announcement from SPAK, Ahmetaj is accused of having committed the following criminal offenses:

• “Refusal to declare, non-declaration, concealment, or false declaration of assets, private interests of elected officials and public servants, or of any other person who has a legal obligation to declare,” solely or in collaboration, in the form of false declaration and in the form of concealment, as stipulated in Article 257/a, paragraph 2, Article 25 of the Criminal Code,
• “Passive corruption of high-ranking state officials or local elected officials” as stipulated in Article 260 of the Criminal Code, 6 (six) times;
• “Money laundering of proceeds from criminal offenses or criminal activities,” in collaboration, more than once, as stipulated in Article 287, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code.

Former Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha, who is running to return in this position, welcomed SPAK’s request to arrest Ahmetaj, but called for the Special Prosecutor’s Office to carry out investigations until the end.

“After a long battle of the DP against the incinerator affair, SPAK’s request should be welcomed, but it cannot stop there. The promoter and the defender of the misappropriation of 430 million euros belonging to Albanians is Edi Rama. Justice must go until the very end, because no one can be above the law! Today the vetting of politicians is more vital than ever, the verification of their assets and connections with the crime that hold Albania hostage,” wrote Basha on Facebook.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party Gazment Bardhi called it “a just act” of SPAK to bring Ahmetaj before justice on the corruptive incinerator affair, but asked of SPAK to conduct investigations in a full and comprehensive manner until reaching to the head of this corruptive affair, which according to him is Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“Together, they have committed some of the most monstruous acts of corruption in the last three decades. I ask the Speaker of the Parliament to convene the Council of Mandates without any delays. SPAK must be given immediate access to conduct controls on the former deputy prime minister and his house,” wrote Bardhi on Twitter.

1/2. Kërkesa për të çuar Arben Ahmetaj para drejtësisë për aferën korruptive të inceneratorëve është një veprim i drejtë, por i vonuar dhe i paplotë. SPAK duhet t’i shkojë deri në fund, duke bërë një hetim të plotë dhe të gjithëanshëm deri tek kreu i aferës korruptive, Edi Rama.

— Gazment Bardhi (@GazmentBardhi) July 10, 2023

Opposition MP from the Freedom Party, Monika Kryemadhi, also commented on the matter. In a Facebook update, Kryemadhi notes with irony that while arrested people regarding the incinerators’ case come and go, payments are ongoing. That is why Kryemadhi asks of SPAK to also investigate on the incinerator of Tirana and stop all payments towards it.

Two high profile arrests have been carried out so far in relation to the incinerators’ case, namely the former Minister of Environment Lefter Koka and former Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment Alqi Bllako.

Investigations against Arben Ahmetaj started in 2022.

Several weeks ago, Arben Ahmetaj had spent some six hours being questioned by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which had expanded investigations against him in four directions: money laundering, passive corruption, false declaration of wealth, and abuse of duty.

The Socialist deputy is under investigation for the Elbasan incinerator case, but the proceedings against him are separate from those of other suspects as SPAK had also included asset-related proceedings.

Since March, two villas in coastal areas belonging to individuals connected to Ahmetaj, specifically his current partner and ex-wife, have been seized by SPAK.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office handled responses to several letters and postal items sent as part of the investigation against Ahmetaj.

Additionally, several businessmen who have financial ties and business agreements with Arben Ahmetaj have been questioned.

The investigative file of SPAK also includes payments made by incinerator businessman Klodian Zoto for accommodations for Ahmetaj and his close relatives in several luxury hotels abroad.

Ahmetaj is accused of privatizing, contrary to asset laws, a property on “5 Maji” Street belonging to the “Buka” company, on which a building stands today.

In 2014, as the former Minister of Economy, Ahmetaj signed a decision that annulled court rulings, wrongfully depriving legitimate owners with the surname Myderizi of approximately 6,370 square meters of land.

The plaintiffs have informed the Special Prosecution Office that Ahmetaj conducted an auction for the sale of shares to businessman Lirim Fezollari.

As part of this investigation, the Special Prosecution Office has obtained information that after the privatization procedure, Arben Ahmetaj and Lirim Fezollari traveled on the same plane to a European Union country.

Regarding another similar matter, Ahmetaj has been accused by the opposition of providing land in the “Unaza” area to Edmond Bego to build a palace complex worth 60 million euros.

The opposition claims that the former Minister of Finance privatized the “Unaza” lakeside greenhouses on behalf of an individual convicted by Italian authorities for drug trafficking.