How Erion Veliaj enriched his brother through companies in Austria

2024-12-12 11:46:00, Denoncim CNA

CNA a day ago discovered the two companies of Erion Veliaj's brother, Arbër Veliaj in Austria, "Gogel GmbH" and "Reg Investitions GmbH".

The first company is an advertising agency, which is managed by Gjergji Xhoxhaj and the second company has the same address as the company "Gogel GmbH".

These companies have circulated millions of euros.

EXCLUSIVE-Erion Veliaj's brother's companies in Austria are revealed
December 11, 13:58

"Plug" has gone further into the investigation where it discovers that Arbër Veliaj bought the company "Gogel" for only 1 thousand euros, which declared a profit of 10 thousand euros.

Until 2013, when Arbër's brother, Erion, was a Minister in the Rama government, the company "Gogel" declared a turnover of 7,800,000 ALL and a profit of 400,000 ALL. In 2014, the company invoiced about 24 million and a profit of 750,000 ALL.

In 2015, Erion Veliaj takes over the Municipality of Tirana, and his brother starts the growth of the company Gogel with thousands of euros.

For 2015, the company "Gogel" invoices 47 million and a profit of 6,100,000, while year after year the company's profits have been increasing, reaching hundreds of thousands of euros.

2016 turnover 68 million ALL and profit 4.2 million ALL

2017 turnover 115 million ALL and profit 9.2 million ALL

2018 turnover 328 million ALL and profit 41 million ALL

2019 turnover 321 million ALL and profit 44 million ALL

2020 turnover 338 million ALL and profit 52 million ALL

2021 turnover 301 million ALL and profit 30 million ALL

2022 turnover 315 million ALL and profit 24 million ALL

2023 turnover 807 million ALL and profit 85 million ALL

In 2023, Arber Veliaj founds the company GOGEL HOLDING and transfers the shares of GOGEL to the ownership of the new company.

This year, Arber Veliaj decides to distribute dividends for the first time after 12 years in the company GOGEL in the amount of 740,000 euros.

There is not enough information about GOGEL HOLDING, but in the first year, according to the balance sheet, it declares a profit in the amount of 1.65 million euros.

In 2016, Erion and Arbër Veliaj would be denounced by the media and the Democratic Party for having used a "presya nome", Gentian Skënderaj, to establish the company "EAG Communication", which would operate in the field of marketing and advertising. According to the blue headquarters, this company had turned into a "guzzler" of public funds. EAG Communication received a tender worth 349 million lek for the decoration of the city of Tirana for the visit of Pope Francis, a tender signed by Erion Veliaj himself. In addition, EAG Comunication also received tenders from the municipality of Ura Vajgurore at that time, which was run by Erion Veliaj's uncle, Syrja Omeraj.

Plow investigated further. On the Facebook page of citizen Gentian Skënderaj for the period 2013-2014, it can be seen that he shares statuses of Erion Veliaj when he held the office as Minister of Social Welfare. After the denunciation the company EAG changed its name to EGGRA. Another fact that proves that Erjon and Arbër veliaj were behind this company is its address.

In 2014, when the EAG Comunication company was founded, it registered as its address "Ibrahim Rugova", Pallati Pëbri plus, apartment 3/5.

At the same address, according to the CKB extract, the headquarters of the company "GOGEL" of Arbë Veliaj was registered.

So, GOGEL and EAG, which had the same object of activity, that in the field of rekamas, shared the same office. If the two companies did not have the same owner, then they would be competitors, much less stay in the same office.

What raises doubts is that in July 2022 the company EAG (as Erion Arber Gentian) was sold for the ridiculous value of 10,000 lek to citizen Klodjan Jaupaj and why the accounting value of the shares was over 12,000,000 lek. 1 month after becoming the owner of the company, this citizen suspends the activity of the EAG company.

Today Gentian Skënderaj is a shareholder in 2 companies Otium and Urbis, where the 70-year-old Helidon Begaj is also a shareholder, who until 2021 has held the position of General Secretary of Rrogozhin Municipality. Helidon Begaj is part of the investigation of the Incinerators file as he has to earn over 700,000 euros in payments to his company ALBANO.

Another "coincidence" is how Gentian Skënderaj, suspected as the presta nome of Veliaj, and Helidon Begaj, beneficiary of the Tirana incinerator's money, join together in the real estate business.

For all these facts published by Plug, SPAK remains to do further actions and investigations./ CNA