The Special Prosecution Office, SPAK, announced on Wednesday, September 9, the discovery of new criminal facts against former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, in connection with investigations into violations of equality in tenders in several tender procedures, for corruption and money laundering.
According to SPAK, the investigation revealed that Balluku hid another second villa in the name of the former famous Albanian national football player and former director of Lazio and Milan in Italy, Igli Tares. It also emerged that part of the works were carried out by a builder, who was favored and declared the winner in a tender for one of the lots of the Outer Ring Road of Tirana.
According to SPAK, the administered acts have yielded evidence of illegal actions by the defendant Belinda Balluku in relation to the procurement procedure with the object "Construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, Lot 7", with a limit fund of 2 billion and 353.5 million lek, excluding VAT.
"...It results that the defendant Belinda Balluku, in her capacity as Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, in collaboration with the head of the contracting authority, citizen Evis Berberi, members of the procurement unit, citizens Miranda Shkurti, Dhurata Lazaj and Nikollaq Mihali, members of the bid evaluation committee, citizens Arbër Troka, Gëzim Noni and Arlinda Gordani, have created unfair advantages and privileges for the winning economic operator of this procurement procedure, the merger of the economic operators 'Alko-Impex General Construcion' and '2T' sh.pk, acting in violation of the law", the announcement is quoted, which underlines that in addition to the legislation on "On public procurement", she also acted in violation of the law "On the prevention of conflict of interest in the exercise of public functions", as amended.
SPAK further explains that former Deputy Prime Minister Balluku actually owns a villa in the "Green Coast" complex, Palasë, Himara, which has turned out to be a hidden asset of hers. To hide this undeclared asset, she used the famous former footballer Igli Tare, carrying out fictitious actions through an undertaking contract in October 2020, in the amount of 250 thousand euros, a value that included the investment up to the construction of the asset in the carbine phase.
While the subsequent investments in this facility were undertaken and carried out by Arfbër Abazi, owner of the company “Alko Impex General Construction”, an integral part of the association of economic operators announced as the winner in the tender for lot 7 of the Tirana Outer Ring Road. In the estimate of the works undertaken by Abazi, the investment value was estimated at 288 thousand euros to 410 thousand euros.
"The defendant Belinda Balluku, due to her function as Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, in exchange for favoring the company 'Alko Impex General Construction', in the aforementioned procurement procedure, has requested and received from citizen Arbër Abazi, the value of the irregular benefit, in the form of investments/works in the object 'Family Villa 2F no.188/1, Nukli 27, built in the 'Green Coast' complex, Palasë, Himarë", SPAK asserts.
Meanwhile, in order to conceal this illegal benefit through corruption, Balluku is accused of using Tara, by carrying out further fictitious actions in relation to the creation of ownership documentation, for the registration of this property in the name of the former footballer.
SPAK assesses that Balluku, due to his duties as Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, had a legal obligation to declare this asset, but did not do so with the intention of hiding it.
In connection with these circumstances, SPAK estimates that Balluku is suspected of having committed passive corruption, failure to declare and conceal assets, as well as money laundering committed in collaboration and more than once. Builder Arbër Abazi and the company owned by him are suspected of active corruption, while former footballer Igli Rate is suspected of money laundering, in collaboration and more than once.
The Special Court of First Instance has accepted SPAK's request for the seizure of the villa in Green Coast, with a total area of 478 m2, of which 478 m2 is land and 142.6 m2 is building.
In June, SPAK announced that Balluku had benefited from a villa worth 145 thousand euros in Dhërmi from the company "Eurocol", in exchange for favoring this company in a tender - hidden through a suspected money laundering scheme in which former footballer Igli Tare was also involved.
Balluku is also under investigation for violating equality in tenders, in collaboration carried out eight times, specifically for the procurement procedure of the Llogara Tunnel; works at Shqiponja Square; construction of the road segments "Shqiponja Square-New Boulevard, Lot 2", "Shqiponja Square-New Boulevard- Shkozë, Bridges over the Tirana River", "Construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, Lot 4", "Construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, Lot 5", "Construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, Lot 6", "Construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road, Lot 7". /Taken from Reporter.al
