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BIRN: Tirana's "ghost" incinerator affair deflates in court like a soap bubble

Politiko 2025-04-16 18:24:13

BIRN: Tirana's "ghost" incinerator affair deflates in court like

The Tirana incinerator affair was closed as a trivial matter on Wednesday in the Special Court, where seven of the 12 defendants in the main case were found guilty of abuse of office, but received sentences so minimal that they were considered to have been served with the time spent in pre-trial detention. Meanwhile, one of the defendants was found not guilty.

The main defendant in this case, former Minister of Environment, Lefter Koka, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, a sentence which was reduced to 2 years thanks to the summary trial. Judge Elsa Ulliri also ordered the termination of the security measure and Koka's release in this case, a release which is prevented by two previous convictions for the Elbasan and Fier concession contracts.

The same sentence was given to the defendants Bledar Karoli, Erjon Murataj, Taulant Tusha, Namik Simixhi and Valbona Ballgjini, while Sidita Kopliku was finally sentenced to

80 hours of community service. While Jetmir Llapaj was declared innocent with the argument that the fact does not constitute a criminal offense. Former socialist MP, Allqi Bllako was tried separately for the Tirana incinerator affair and was sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison.

The Tirana incinerator is the largest project among three controversial projects of Prime Minister Edi Rama's government for the treatment of urban waste, but the incinerator was never built, while tens of millions of taxpayers' euros disappeared without a trace.

The concessionaire company of the Tirana incinerator, Integrated Energy BV SPV, was seized in August 2023 by the Special Prosecution Office, after it was discovered that its ultimate owners were two notorious businessmen, Klodian Zoto and Mirel Mërtiri.

The Special Prosecution Office concluded that the concessionaire company was aware of the competitive circumstances before the procedure was announced and that it was assisted by public officials in preparing the documentation and submitting the bid that declared it the winner.

However, during the final conclusions in February, SPAK requested minimal sentences for the defendants, sentences that were further mitigated in court.

Through MP Jorida Tabaku, the Democratic Party considered Wednesday's decision "a crumb" in relation to the responsibilities of those who conceived, approved and implemented the corruption scheme in this contract.

Tabaku repeated the accusations against Prime Minister Edi Rama, his Secretary General, Çngjëll Agaçi, Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj and other cabinet ministers in relation to this affair, while stressing that the Democratic Party will not stop denouncing it./ BIRN