The former Mayor of the Municipality of Fushë Arrëz, Fran Tuci, was arrested Wednesday evening by order of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK), on charges of abuse of office.

Tuci is accused of allowing, in violation of the law, the opening of a new road segment approximately 1.8 kilometers long and 5 meters wide, in an area under the administrative jurisdiction of the Municipality of Fushë Arrëz, thereby damaging the forested area belonging to the municipality and causing serious damage to the terrain.

According to the Inspectorate for Territory Protection in Shkodër, the damage amounts to 234 million Albanian lek (approximately 2.1 million euros), which includes damage to the terrain and deforestation of the area registered in the State Cadaster Agency, the Local Directorate of Puka, as “Forest” property owned by the Municipality of Fushë Arrëz.

The prosecution states that investigative actions have revealed that Tuci, in collaboration with the former Administrator of the Iballë Administrative Unit, Ndoc Marku, allowed the opening of a new rural road segment that had not been authorized by the competent authorities.

As a result, Marku has been placed under house arrest as a suspect in the commission of the criminal offense of “Abuse of Office” in collaboration, while Durim Markgjekaj, who carried out the construction works on this road, has been subjected to a mandatory appearance order by the court on charges of the criminal offense of “Destruction of Property”.

Fran Tuci was elected mayor of the Municipality of Fushë Arrëz in the local elections of 2015, representing the Socialist Party and the Alliance for a European Albania. He was reelected in the 2019 local elections for a second term.

During his tenure, his brother was arrested in June 2020 during a drug operation codenamed “Saint Mary 2020”.