BIRN: Belinda Balluku hid a villa in Dhërmi obtained as a bribe in the name of Igli Tare

The Special Prosecution Office, SPAK, announced on Thursday, June 4, that former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku is suspected of having committed passive corruption and money laundering, in addition to the criminal offenses of violating equality in tenders for which she was indicted in October last year. A luxury villa in Dhërmi has also been seized, which is suspected of having been obtained as a bribe from her, in exchange for favors given to the construction company “Eurocol” sh.pk, in the tender procedure and during the implementation of the contract. Fictitious actions were carried out to acquire the villa, in which Igli Tare, the famous former Albanian national football player and former director of Lazio and Milan in Italy, was involved.

On June 3, the Special Court of First Instance accepted SPAK's request for the seizure of the two-story villa in the "White Rocks" tourist resort, Gjilekë, Dhërmi, Himarë Municipality, property that results in the indirect ownership of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. "There are suspicions that the seized property is related to the irregular benefit, sought and received by citizen Belinda Balluku, in exchange for favoring the economic operator, through a public procurement procedure conducted by Albcontrol sh.a. The investigations have also identified the use of suspected fictitious legal acts, with the aim of concealing the origin and real ownership of the property," the announcement states.

It is also clarified that the seized property is a two-story individual villa type Begonia with no. F6 and fenced. The plot available to the villa is no less than 300 m², while the first floor of the building has an area of ​​103 m², of which 54 m² is the ground floor, 49 m² above and 34 m² veranda. There is also a parking lot inside the fence.

According to SPAK, Balluku committed illegal actions in relation to the procurement procedure with the object "Reconstruction of the Albcontrol technological building to improve conditions", with a limit fund of 88.6 million lek, as well as in the tender "Additional contract for 'Reconstruction of the Albcontrol technological building to improve conditions'", with a value of 14.1 million lek, excluding VAT.

The investigations have resulted in the defendant Belinda Balluku, in her capacity as the head of the contracting authority "Albcontrol" sh.a., in collaboration with citizen Evis Berberi, who at that time held the position of head of the Procurement Sector, as well as the members of the procurement unit, citizens SP, EN and AM, through illegal actions have predetermined and created unfair advantages and privileges for the winning company of the procurement procedure, the economic operator "Eurocol" sh.pk, owned by businessman Pandeli Carapuli.

Likewise, the favoritism of this company that was declared the winner continued even at the moment of signing the contract, by offering an immediate prepayment of half of the contract value, as well as during the implementation of the contract and its addendum.

"The investigation results that citizen Belinda Balluku, due to her public function as General Director of Albcontrol sh.a., in exchange for favoring the company 'Eurocol' sh.pk in the aforementioned procedure, has requested and received an irregular benefit, which, referring to the order contract, is worth 145,000 (one hundred and forty-five thousand) euros, consisting of real estate, specifically the villa with no. F6, in the 'White Rocks' tourist resort, Gjilekë, Dhërmi, Himarë Municipality, Vlorë District, with the company 'Eurocol' sh.pk as the developer," SPAK informs.

The irregular benefit resulted from being requested during the tender process, where it turns out that at that time the company "Eurocol" sh.pk had applied for and was granted a development permit for the construction of a tourist resort in the village of Gjilekë.

In addition to the irregular benefit, Balluku is accused of having hidden this wealth by using citizen Igli Tare and her subordinate at Albcontrol sh.a., citizen JB. According to the prosecution, the order contract was fictitiously executed between the suspect Igli Tare and the owner of the company "Eurocol". Balluku is accused of having fictitiously executed a hand rental contract between herself, her subordinate and Tare, in May 2022, as well as the amendment to this contract in April 2024.

Igli Tare was questioned at SPAK from Thursday morning, when from around 10:00 until 14:40 he was also accompanied by his lawyer, due to the communication of the registration of his name as a person under investigation, for laundering the proceeds of a criminal offense.

Balluku is accused of violating equality in tenders in connection with the procurement procedure for the construction of the Llogara tunnel on the Orikum-Himar road section and in seven cases of procurement procedures for the construction of the Tirana Outer Ring Road.

The socialist majority in Parliament rejected in March a request by SPAK to allow her arrest. Reporter.al