The Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) seized documents of interest to the investigation against former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj during the controls carried out in his properties.

According to a SPAK statement, laptops, mobile phones, USB drives, etc., have been found and seized, which will undergo further verification.

Enforcement of the preventive seizure measure has been carried out on six assets, including four apartments (one adapted for AIR BNB) owned by Arben Ahmetaj, as well as two bank accounts belonging to the same individual, amounting to 124,300 Euros.

Earlier this morning, the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH) conducted searches at the coastal residence of Arben Ahmetaj and his partner in Hamallaj, as well as his apartment in Tirana.

Ahmetaj took to his Facebook account to denounce these searches, claiming that the authorities had seized cellphones of “family members of mine aged 82 and below, in search for evidence of incinerators”.

The Albanian Parliament voted on July 14 to lift Arben Ahmetaj’s immunity as a member of the parliament, paving the way for his arrest, as well as searches in his properties.

117 deputies, including Prime Minister Edi Rama, voted in favor of SPAK’s request to arrest Ahmetaj, while three deputies who were present at that meeting, abstained.

After voting in favor of lifting Ahmetaj’s immunity, Prime Minister Edi Rama declared it is up to the justice institutions to thoroughly investigate and conclude whether Ahmetaj is guilty or not.

The Prime Minister reminded that the Socialist Party will not tolerate anyone who abuses their position for personal benefits.

According to Ahmetaj’s lawyer Henrik Ligori, the former Deputy Prime Minister is currently in Great Britain with his daughter, and will return to Albania when he believes “the truth will be revealed”.