VOA: Over 20 million euros laundered by the organized criminal group of the Tirana incinerator

2024-07-16 21:47:25, Aktualitet CNA

VOA: Over 20 million euros laundered by the organized criminal group of the

SPAK building

The Special Prosecutor's Office announced today that the investigations into the Tirana incinerator had revealed a scheme to launder more than 20 million euros, in which several people were found to be involved. She issued arrest warrants for eight of them, which were sent to the police for execution on July 12, but yesterday, the latter announced that none of the wanted persons were in Albania.

It is about entrepreneurs, Dashamir Ymeraj, Renardo Nallbani and Ilir Dedja, managers of the Tirana incinerator such as Denisa Tollkuçi or the former Italian administrator Giuseppe Ciaffaglione, two Dutchmen connected to the parent company of the company that won the concession for the construction of the incineration plant in the capital Marc Lapat and Michael Druijts, as well as the journalist and head of a media company, Endrit Habilaj. They are suspected of various criminal offenses, from "Fraud", with serious consequences, to "Cleaning of the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity", carried out in special cooperation within the structured criminal group, "Structured criminal group". and "Commitment of criminal offenses by criminal organization and structured criminal group".

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According to the Special Prosecutor's Office, the money laundering scheme "was carried out continuously starting from the moment of the conclusion of the concession contract using various mechanisms and forms" and was carried out through the payment of fictitious invoices, thanks to phantom companies created within and abroad, as well as through the withdrawal of monetary values ??in cash.

In December of last year, the Special Prosecutor's Office issued the first 15 arrest warrants for the Tirana incinerator, including the two entrepreneurs Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto, considered the real owners, as well as the former Minister of the Environment Lefter Koka, and the former MP socialist Alqi Blako. All four were involved earlier and in the case of two other incinerators.

Photomontage - Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto

The investigations into the capital plant also affected the former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, against whom an arrest warrant was issued last summer. One of the persons against whom the latest arrest warrants were issued, Ilir Dedja, turns out to be quite close to him. With business activity in Switzerland, he is thought to have vouched for Mr. Ahmetaj's stay in this country, while a few years ago he had also employed his wife. One of Dedje's companies has received hundreds of thousands of euros in payments from the incinerator company.

The investigations of the Special Prosecutor's Office are ongoing. In recent months, other high-ranking state officials have been interrogated, from the mayor Erion Veliaj, the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Engjëll Agaçi to the deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku./ VOA