Six of the arrested individuals in the Special Prosecution Against Organized Crime (SPAK) operation called “Metamorphosis”, including former high-ranking officials of the State Police, prosecutors, and a businessman, will remain in prison.
Case lawyer Ylli Manjani (former Minister of Justice of Albania) addressed the media after the Special Court confirmed the pre-trial detention for the six arrested in the operation and the two others arrested in flagrante. According to Manjani, the Prosecution acted hastily.
“Wiretapping is not evidence. There is no evidence that any of my clients have any connection to these issues. Nothing has been caught. Everything is speculation. The Prosecution was clear; they are indications and people under investigation. These are indications sent by mail from France,” said Manjani.
The session was scheduled to begin at 08:30 in the morning, but the lawyers requested a two-hour break to familiarize themselves with the case.
SPAK conducted a major operation on July 27, resulting in the arrest of the head of Kukës Prosecution Office, a former chief of the Operational Force in the State Police, a well-known businessman, and several members of criminal groups.
SPAK had issued 15 arrest warrants for this case, but only six were executed during Thursday’s operation.
Among those apprehended were Xhevahir Lita, a prosecutor in Kukës district, Oltion Bistri, a former chief of the Operational Force in the State Police, and Ardit Hasanbega, a former chief of the Office against Organized Crime in Shkodra Police, who was dismissed from the police force while serving in Berat a year ago.
Prominent businessman Pëllumb Gjoka was also taken into custody. The opposition had accused him of having connections with the government and benefiting from public assets.
SPAK highlighted that “criminal acts committed by public officials, high-ranking state police officers, high-ranking police officers, and the arrested prosecutor were documented, undermining the proper functioning of the rule of law and law enforcement”.
The State Police’s statement on this operation, codenamed “Metamorphosis”, shed light on the roles of the officials and individuals involved in SPAK’s investigation.
Businessman Pëllumb Gjoka is suspected of involvement in premeditated murder through collaboration within an organized criminal group, including a murder in Shkodra in July 2020. Moreover, in three other incidents in Tirana and Shkodra, the police allege that Gjoka “provided the conditions and means for carrying out the murders”.
Former chief of the Operational Force in the State Police, Oltion Bistri, is suspected of “abuse of office” for “disclosing secret acts and data”.
Ardit Hasanbega, the former chief of the Office against Organized Crime in Shkodra Police, is suspected of “providing the conditions and material means for committing murders” and participating in an “organized criminal group” against two citizens in Shkodra in 2020.
Prosecutor Xhevahir Lita from Kukës is suspected of corruption in two cases and involvement in an “organized criminal group”.
During the operation, 26 residences and premises were inspected, leading to the seizure of eight firearms, including six pistols, one automatic rifle, and one rifle, along with military ammunition, 19 ammunition magazines, two sniper rifle mounts, three hunting rifles, two police radio chargers, two other weapons, three masks, one wig, eight vehicles (including four armored ones), one hidden camera, two vehicle plates, three luxury watches, 3,409,000 Albanian lek (approximately 34,000 euros), 31,205 euros, 4,400 US dollars, three USB devices, seven DVRs, 28 cell phones, and one laptop.
Among the individuals still wanted is Ervis Martinaj, a well-known figure in the Albanian criminal world, who has been missing. Prime Minister Edi Rama had given the police a 100-day deadline to clarify his fate, but almost a year has passed without any revelations.
Prek Kodra is also on the wanted list. His name appeared in an email from the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Kosovo Police, addressed to the General Director of the State Police in Albania, Gledis Nano, in 2021, claiming that he “would assassinate Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti”. This document was published by hackers along with thousands of communications from the Albanian State Police.
The Special Prosecution Against Organized Crime carried out this operation in cooperation with Eurojust, Europol, and law enforcement agencies from Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. The arrested and wanted individuals are suspected of criminal activities in Albania and several European countries.
SPAK’s investigations have also revealed that individuals with criminal records may have been involved in other incidents, which are still under scrutiny.
